In the selo, there is an old saying:
Po jutru se dan poznaje.
This just means that the way you treat your morning will reflect heavily on the way the rest of your day will turn out. Now of course this seems like common folk wisdom, but for Croatians—especially Dalmatians—who love food and rest above all, few proverbs are more relevant to everyday selo living.
You see, Croatians absolutely adore coffee. For many Croatians, friends and family take priority over work. This becomes clear during fjaka (our version of siesta), where we typically drink a cup of dark or medium roast coffee, served black and hot, just prior to our mid-afternoon naps.
We’ll get together for a cup or two, then find the nearest pillow. The thinking goes that since caffeine takes some time to kick in, you get the benefits of both rest and wakefulness by drinking beforehand, leaving you wired for the rest of the day following your nap.
Today, I had a chance to try my first cup of Groundshark Coffee. For the past year at least, I’ve been drinking South American coffee every single day, from one local brand in particular that sources their beans via fair trade. By all means, what I’ve got tastes fine, but last week I came across Nick Lowry’s new coffee company on Twitter and I couldn’t resist the temptation to try out a new blend, and to purchase a few bags for myself (I purchased three bags so that it would last me the month). I just received my first shipment today.
My first impression is that Groundshark is simply excellent. It has certainly replaced my previous coffee. Most black coffees taste bitter (which I also don’t mind) but lack a distinct flavor. This Brazilian coffee, however, retains its full caramely flavor, even after brewing. The kick is mild, like a fine Argentinian yerba mate, so you can drink it all day long without crashing. It is 9 PM now, and I just finished my sixth cup after a late dinner (maybe don’t quote me on this; my caffeine tolerance is probably through the roof). Anyway, feels great!
Whenever I eat or drink anything, I always wonder to myself: “Is this how my grandparents would have eaten, or drank?” If I can answer yes, I have no doubt in my mind that I am making the correct choice.
I should add that Nassim Taleb’s work on the Lindy Effect has inspired countless many others (including doctors) when it comes to this line of reasoning:
I only drink things humans have been drinking for at least 1000 years, just to make sure my DNA is comfortable with it. Water, Coffee, Alcohol…
Learned this from @nntaleb Thank you sir…— Ken D Berry MD (@KenDBerryMD) August 20, 2018
Black Coffee. Olive Oil. Game Meats. Red Wine. Plum Brandy.
These are all things that make up a time-tested Lindy-valid “Selo Diet.” This is why I’m always on the look out for the very best of these kinds of foods. Given that I am currently living in Canada while I set up my olive oil business, I can’t always access the best farm fresh, organic Croatian variants of the foods I listed above, so I’m always on the hunt for alternatives:
I love coffee, and I trust my grandmother. She always knows best. Medium roast, black, served hot, preferably from hand-picked beans. That’s what I go by, and what I’ve been drinking since I was a child. When I was a lot younger, black coffee and animal cookies were my favorite. I’ve since ditched the cookies, but still drink black medium roast coffee heavily, about 4-6 cups every single day.
As an avid coffee drinker, the smell of the grounds are extremely important to me. You can often tell a lot about the taste just by smelling a freshly ground cup of beans. The Groundshark Coffee website describes the taste of the coffee as fruity, with a hint of caramel. I can definitely confirm this, both in aroma and taste. It was a pleasant surprise, to take in that sweet smell on my first whiff. The taste lingered for a moment. Time to grind!
It is not often that a Croatian will give ground to a Brazilian, especially when it comes to football or food, so you know that I must be telling the truth when I say that the guys at Groundshark have made a serious dent in my palette. I’ll definitely be drinking this fine coffee for some time to come. I think I’ll have to ask my friends and family in town to try it out as well. I’m willing to bet the last 200 Kunas in my drawer that my grandmother will approve. That’s a month’s supply of coffee! I’ll have to order a few more bags to give to her when she returns from Croatia this winter.
Rating: Selo / 10. Will Drink Again.
Interested in handcrafted 100% Brazilian coffee? Get some now.