The Exclusive Or

I spend a lot of time in coffee shops. I’m writing in Amsterdam, so let me clarify that I do mean coffee. I like coffee shops because: a) I like coffee, b) I find them relaxing, and c) and it is a way to be around people without the awkwardness of being obligated to talk to them.

Imagine that, by some puckish magic, overnight you gained all the strength and skill of a professional acrobat. Yesterday, you’d trip walking down the street; today, you can skip across a tightrope. All your friends are bewildered at your transformation. You’re bewildered, too, most of all because you no longer know your body, how fast you can run, how much you can lift, how high you can jump. This is what it is to be a kitten. Every day our kitten performs all kinds of preposterous stunts—leaping over the other cat in mid stride, using a wooden drying rack as a jungle gym—simply because she doesn’t know that she can’t.

Pourover is a trendy and delicious way of making coffee. It is possible to make excellent coffee this way. This video by Matt Perger has a great technique for the Hario V60, which the one that I have been playing with since receiving it for my birthday.