There's a particular kind of emotional ambush that happens before 8am. A song comes on, something with strings or a slow guitar, and suddenly you're not just standing in your kitchen anymore. You're the misunderstood protagonist of a foreign film, staring out a rain-streaked window, contemplating everything you've ever done wrong since 2009.

This is not a mood. This is a symptom.

Science types will tell you that music triggers the limbic system, which is the part of your brain that handles emotion and memory. Researchers found that minor keys and slow tempos activate emotional processing whether you want them to or not. Your brain doesn't check your calendar before deciding to feel things. It just goes for it.

All of that emotional sensitivity is dramatically worse before coffee. Your brain is still half-asleep, your defenses are down, and your rational thinking is somewhere between snooze number two and actually getting up. That's when a sad song doesn't just sound sad. It sounds like a personal message written specifically for your soul.

Coffee changes the math. Not because it eliminates feelings, that would be terrifying and also impressive, but because it gives your brain enough fuel to put those feelings in proper context. You go from full cinematic drama to a reasonable human who just heard a nice song.

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Roaster Notes

Greenbelt Coffee (​https://greenbeltcoffee.ca/​ )

Hamilton, ON

In their own words: “When you order our in-house roasted beans, we roast them to your specifications to ensure you can enjoy the freshest cup possible.

Freshly-roasted beans allow you to fully appreciate the individual characteristics of each bean or blend. Once coffee has been roasted, the flavours gradually degrade until you can no longer taste what makes each one unique and your coffee can become flat, bland and stale tasting. For maximum flavour, it's best to enjoy coffee within a 3-month period from its roast date.”

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Cheers and may your mornings have better soundtracks