- Coffee facts
Offline café. Offline coffee?
The other day I was waiting for a friend at a coffee shop, took out my cell phone as a matter of course, checked my texts and emails – and got a rebuke. Very kindly, very friendly, but still: Digital devices were not allowed here! Wow! Without knowing it, I had ended up in an offline café. How amazing is that?
Kristin Oldenburg
Focusing on the essentials.
I don’t actually think I’m addicted. Especially as I always like to make fun of people who run into street signs and the like because they’re so busy using their smartphones. But to be honest, my cell phone is indeed glued to my hand. I’m always available on my cell phone, whether I want to be or not, it’s become normal, and I really have to pull myself together to NOT look at the screen after 15 minutes at the latest. It’s so much more pleasant to “just” talk to my girlfriend. And to concentrate on what she has to say about her vacation.
Digital detox is actually nothing new, but more and more offline cafés are popping up and you can find signs like “We don’t have WiFi, talk to each other!”: How cool is that? Especially because there are so many people from the ‘IGen’ generation who enjoy “pulling the plug” at times, not only old ladies like me. I’m not talking about “media fasting” or “mental health”. What I find so remarkable is that I not only had a very inspiring conversation with my friend in the offline café in question, but also really tasted the coffee. Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t particularly good, a little too much milk, which couldn’t mask the strong acidity. I probably wouldn’t have noticed this otherwise – but I did in this case.
What if…
… more people would feel the same way? And really good coffee – organic beans, gently roasted, skillfully prepared – would become more significant as a result? Offline coffee, where you can really let the flavors melt in your mouth. Which of course also works at home. And in the editorial office – at least that’s what I’m currently trying. So, I’ll be offline for a moment.
How do you feel about being offline? Do you consciously switch off your smartphone when eating (aka drinking coffee), watching your favorite series, or sleeping at night? Or rather not? Let us know what you think about offline coffee in the comments – we’d love to hear your opinion.
