Coffee Journal: An Aromatic Journey

I always loved the smell of coffee ever since I was little. My parents used to have a cup of black coffee after breakfast when I was growing up, which meant I got to appreciate the aroma every morning. It wasn't until a few years ago, however, that I began to appreciate its flavor.

I started with lattes and macchiatos of the Starbucks variety (aka little amounts of caffeine). Then, as I got older, I began venturing out to americanos and roasts of different strength. My newfound love for coffee also led me to attend a coffee festival in San Francisco last November, where I purchased beans from a variety of vendors. Eventually, as stationery enthusiasts do, I decided to document it all in a separate coffee journal.

I already had a small coffee journal that I bought from Oblation Papers during a trip I took to Seattle last year. Not only was it the perfect size, but the cover also had a ribbed texture to it that I really liked.

Of course, the first thing I did was to decorate the opening page and describe the intent of the journal.

Coffee stamps from 36 Sublo (1, 2), handwriting stamp from Knoop

Then, I pasted some leftover packaging from the coffee beans I already finished along with bits and pieces of washi tape. I made sure to leave plenty of room to jot down my thoughts. I decided to script the coffee brand names in pencil to keep things interesting.

I also played around with various parts of the wrapping and made a small pocket out of it!

It was fun to incorporate the materials that once housed the coffee beans. Using them and treating them like ephemera allowed me to retain their authenticity by preserving things like handwriting on the packaging.

To share my thoughts onto the page, I used a smiley face rating system. For one, it wasn't as formal as a five star rating system, where I would have to think about the blends in comparison to one another. All I wanted to do was capture the essence of how I felt when I tasted the coffee. Another reason? It kept the journal more fun and light-hearted.

Even though this journal is nowhere close to being finished, I wanted to share a glimpse of its beginnings because it will be a long time before I finish the coffee beans in my kitchen cabinet. As I go through each blend, I'm looking forward to writing down my impressions of all that its flavor has to offer!