We honeymooned in Italy. Young love wandering through a dream of gondola glamour swayed back and forth by the rock of the canal. We tossed coins in the blues of the Trevi Fountain. Neptune and his horses of the sea standing watch. Marble guardians. We pilgrimaged through Vatican halls to reach the cavern cool interior of the Sistine Chapel and stargazed at frescos in the sky, where Old Testament splendor met New Testament glory. Not to mention the food. We ate our way through Venice, Florence and Rome.
Fast forward a decade or so. We're coming up on 12 years at the close of May. Memory Lane is reopened for the anniversary season and we linger over those unforgettable moments. One practice in particular we've continued since our Italian wanderings is the removal of milk from our coffee cup. The Italian way is about dark, rich, strong coffee. BOLD roast. We've skipped the cream all these years and developed an appreciation for a feisty flavor.
A number of years ago our church introduced a program called the Coffee Project through Equal Exchange. This is a fair trade organization that partners with communities through its Interfaith Program. Through the Coffee Project, members of congregations can enjoy coffee, tea and chocolate and small-scale farmers can enjoy a fair price to enable their communities to invest in health care, education, and agricultural improvements.
I purchase my coffee by the case now (Equal Exchange style) and never fail to inhale deep every time I open a fresh bag. Dark and bold. The Italian way.
http://www.equalexchange.coop/interfaith-program
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