Chenthil Mohan finds redemption in an espresso shot.
After a series of losses and diving into a dark, not-so-pleasant place in my head; with the help of my therapist and family, I started this year with the resolve to be grateful for all the privileges that I take for granted. Fast forward to mid-March, this resolution got quickly relegated when my wife and I found ourselves knee deep in caregiving for W, our 16yo dog who was ill, a pack of old dogs, a cat and a non-existent photography career. At this point, caffeine was nothing more than a stimulant that kept me going. It didn’t matter how it was delivered to my body. I had been a “regular” by then with Black Baza Coffee and had read about all the effort they put into making the journey of coffee sustainable end-to-end, but I’d never really taken the effort to understand my place in this process.
A good friend kept nudging me with my coffee process while I was dealing with daily crises at home and work. “Grind your beans for every cup” he would say and he loaned me his grinder to ensure that I followed through.
About 15 days before we lost W, the same friend walked in with a bag full of coffee contraptions and told me “You should try pulling a manual espresso”. This was to be my first time using a Flair Pro to make coffee. The process of dialling in the grind, temperature and pressure to make a delicious cuppa was a good distraction from sleepless worried nights.
It was frustrating at first — Too Fine / Too Coarse / Too Hot / Badly Packed Puck / No Coffee / Bitter Coffee / Just a Drop of Coffee — I had to see through it all. Slowly and steadily I got completely immersed in the process called coffee. Pulling a perfect espresso shot brought so much joy. The process helped me slow down and appreciate the vagaries of daily life.
Now, every day when I wake up and start making my coffee, there is a sense of gratitude that reminds me of the following words a friend once told me…
“Che, so much effort goes into producing those beautiful beans… We must respect that effort when it comes to the last mile and do a good job of extracting what the beans have to offer. That way we pay our respects to all the faceless and nameless people who’ve toiled in the process upstream, enjoy a good cuppa and feel truly grateful. Not many people can afford great coffee tbh.”
#grateful
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About Chenthil
A documentary photographer from Bangalore, Chenthil is the recipient of the 2016 Silk Awards, and 2012 Better Photography Wedding Photographer of the Year Award (couple Portraiture). Apart from documenting weddings across the world, Chenthil is an accredited sports photographer specialized in professional cycling and a published photojournalist in leading publications and photo festivals. He lives in the outskirts of Bangalore, India with his wife, dogs, and cat trying to live a lifestyle true to his spirit.
Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/chenthilmohan/
Website — https://www.chenthil.in/
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