Moments in Trimethyldioxypurism
Caffeine has become a tool that helps us function -- but there are more than ample opportunities when caffeine is consumed purely as a pleasure. Here, in food city USA, a.k.a. San Francisco, you never know when a moment of chemical perfection may just happen. The Trimethyldioxypurist experienced two such instances this weekend.
Ritual.
It's very important in our society. A ritual can be more powerful than its components -- after all, don't we all know that person who drinks the dreaded decaf in the morning, claiming that he needs it to wake up? And it works?
A "placebo effect"? Sure, probably. But a valid solution nonetheless; by going through actions practiced by our forefathers and our peers, we can actualize what we're trying to accomplish. And doing things an established way, even when we have no specific goal in mind, can add gravity and a sense of context to even the simplest things. Eating. Drinking. Socializing.
Okay, that's more than enough pseudo-pop-sociology from a layperson. But a couple cases in point follow . . .
After-dinner coffee drinks.
While still practiced for the purpose of "get up and go," this tradition is often in response to specific stimuli (pigging out) as opposed to a daily shot of body-and-brain fuel. And it makes a meal last just that much longer, extends a pleasant experience as far as it will go.
B44, a Spanish restaurant in the Financial District (44 Belden Place, San Francisco -- it's in that alley just south of the B of A building), was an excellent showcase for this principle. After an incredible meal (a review of which is better left to people with more discerning palettes), really made clear just how much more potent a chemical can be when used in a certain context.
One option is the "carajillo" -- an espresso spiked with what was most likely brandy. While we truthfully usually frown on the mixing of chemical substances (see "caffeine vs. tryptophan"), since the carajillo's primary function is to serve as an exclamation point, it should be relatively safe. Served in a small cup and steaming hot, the bouquet of strong coffee and refined spirits flies into the nose and mouth on titillating vapors. As much as the caffeine may help, it's this aura and the subsequent taste -- earthy, strong, sharp at the edges -- that serve to reverse the "food coma."
Oh, and the cafe con leche is really nice as well, for you teetotalers--smooth, milky, sweet. Definitely wouldn't serve for an a.m. jolt, but it'll certainly get you on the bus back home.
Tea traditions.
Tea has caffeine in it too. Oh, and it's the most popular drink on earth aside from plain water.
Imperial Tea Court exposes its visitors to the tradition, culture, and majesty of what is by nature both a stimulating and calming beverage. The tea we sampled was served in a gaiwan, or a covered tea cup, in which the tea leaves steep directly and are kept in the cup by careful application of the cup's cover. Not to worry, neophytes, the process is explained by helpful staff, who also share with you the qualities and characteristics of the tea you are about to consume.
The whole visit is an experience. Red lanterns, bird cages, painted-screen lanterns with red tassels, and wood structures with intricate detailing lend to one's total immersion into another culture. Many different types and grades of tea are available, including green, white, black, puerh, oolong, and "imperial" -- of the highest caliber -- versions of each.
Tea, of course, pales in comparison to drip coffee in terms of stimulation (i.e., potency). However, in such an atmosphere as Imperial Tea Court, it's not out of the question to sit, drink cup after cup, and feed yourself a constant, moderated supply, especially if enjoying food with it. While food isn't necessary to enjoy the tea, it's good in its own right and can be perfectly paired with an appropriate tea (or vice versa), whether you prefer to try finger foods (like tea-covered pumpkin seeds, peanut cookies, and cured plums) or a more robust course (curried tofu, dumplings, and more).
Participation in a more traditional way of drinking tea elevates the enjoyment even beyond the high quality of the drink itself. The requirement of steeping it for yourself and the application of the gaiwan really serve to make you part of the process -- part of the tradition -- rather than just a simple consumer or end-user.
Imperial Tea Court has two locations, one in Chinatown (1411 Powell) and a newer facility at the Ferry Building.
Last drop.
While the caffeine isn't the whole show at either B44 or the Imperial Tea Court, it can underscore and improve the enjoyment of something pretty darned good in its own right. To think of caffeine as just a "tool for fuel" is to neglect how much enjoyment we can get out of its quality, its potency, and -- as evidenced by these two establishments -- the application of how we consume it.