About Sweet Science Coffee
In My Own Words
by Sandra Wolter
Sweet Science started as a tiny pop-up shop in Washington DC in 2015. Besides regular service I offered classes in brewing, the history of coffee, and “slow bar” pour-overs. The philosophy was to experience coffeetime consciously, beyond just caffeine kicks. Enjoy. Being. Awake was the motto, painted across the back wall.
What You Sow
I come from a fifth-generation family coffee business, so I had a deep-rooted appreciation for the rituals around coffee making that I carried into Sweet Science. But I had no idea how personally meaningful those values would eventually become.
In my first career, I worked as a journalist and reporter for NDR, a large German television network. News reporting is a high-pressure, competitive job. I was able to cope because I have a single focus kind of mind on whatever I am doing, and I didn't care about long days or weekend work as long as I had my early morning coffee ritual. Plus, I had the freedom to take time off and travel when I really wanted to. That all changed when I switched careers and became a multi tasking founder of a coffee business.
What You Reap
As a new cafe owner, I dove headfirst into my new roles. I was never not at work. One of my baristas once said, “You are the only person I know where I am always sure where she is.” I took that as a compliment, go figure.
It all felt great in the beginning; I had endless energy. People came in to watch, learn, and chill. Over the course of four years I built the business from a one-woman show into a highly rated mecca for coffee nerds, reviewed by a renowned food critic and with partners showing interest in helping me expand into brick and mortar locations.
Eventually, we opened two that were supposed to be the culmination of my dream. However, I went through phases of extreme exhaustion, depression, and debilitating anxiety. Afterhours, of course, when no one was watching. At work, I was on point and got things done.
By 2019, the creative joy and the motivation behind “my coffee thing” was almost gone. I was a Doing, too busy to enjoy my Being, and I sure wasn’t Awake. From there, I started to physically decline.
The Shift(s)
One night, I woke up in great pain. The ER doctor diagnosed a stomach ulcer and ultra-low blood pressure and said, “You should rest and maybe stay away from caffeine. What do you do for work?” Lol. “I own a coffee shop, and I have to open in three hours.” I didn’t actually drink much coffee, I had no time to sit and enjoy so I often skipped it. I knew my ulcer was caused by “just” stress. I opened that day as usual. Nice try, Universe.
18 months later, while dragging my business through COVID-19, I went for a blood test because I was “a bit tired.” In reality, I was barely able to make it up my street without panting. This second doctor called me an hour after they had sent my blood sample to the lab. She said, “I don’t know how you managed to sit in front of me earlier, but you should be dead.” I was so anemic that my body had started to shut organs down to stay somewhat functional.
I had to go straight to a hospital and get a transfusion. Over the next three days, I just lay there in total silence, unable to DO anything and oddly without any thought of tomorrow, worry, fear, or regret. I was forced to shift gears into neutral. That experience changed how I approach anything I choose to do today.
Recalibration
When I returned home, I knew I had to make changes that felt right and were inspired by what I love about the medium I work with - I had to return to my roots and start teaching again, but in a deeper way.
I love coffee for the immense flavor variety, the fascinating brewing chemistry, and the inner stillness it supports when crafted by hand. I wanted to create something around coffee in relationship to health. So I went back to university to study Coffee Excellence and the effects of caffeine and other compounds on the brain and body.
And I merged that scientific knowledge with a practice that ironically was my daily ritual before I got caught up in a busy life and forgot my coping skills.
Contemplation over Coffee
We live in fast times. Change is happening all around us and fear of uncertainly a constant companion for many people. I observe that the pursuit of convenience and a caffeine kick to make it through the day often leads to us overlooking the mental-emotional benefits of engaging in a manual process.
Crafting means choosing simplicity over convenience. It is an effective way to slow down and ground us. The focus required to make a pour over coffee with intention stops random thoughts. It creates a gap that can be used to contemplate and increase present moment awareness when we enjoy the coffee with all our senses. Hardly anyone would argue that the only moment we can truly come up with solutions and overcome challenges is the present moment.
It is funny to me that I managed to forget that. It just wasn't something I thought had a place in a "serious coffee training". After all, I am not a meditation teacher or life coach. But I was where many of our coffee loving students are these days and I know that the practice holds great potential.
Sweet Science is now an online school and place for coffee loving folks that value a quality over quantity lifestyle. We teach chemistry and recipe frameworks, not to worry! We only strive to provide an entrance to a daily ritual that can enrich someone's life. It's a personal practice that we hope to be a part of by making the practice a tasty and slow paced experience.
In good health,
Sandra
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