Morning Daydreams - Hana
In collaboration with our incredible partners at Baratza, Glitter Cat Barista presents Morning Day Dreams, a series of written and photographic work in which Glitter Cat Legends give you a glimpse into their lives and how coffee fits into them. Hana Yoshimoto has gifted us with an essay, photos, and a half-caff iced maple oat latte recipe to warm your hearts.
Reclaiming My Mornings
Learning to find joy and comfort in my morning routine is relatively new to me. For most of my life, mornings were often fraught with stress and chaotic urgency. In high school, I still lived in my rural hometown and mornings meant waking up and hitting the road before the sun came up.
Similarly, for the majority of my adult life, mornings have meant setting alarms so that I could open a cafe while it was still dark out. The first half of my day was often filled with so much anxiety that I didn’t feel like I had the chance to really breathe until the mid or late afternoon. Performing well at school and work were always more important than indulging in any form of self-care.
I spent the first year and a half of the pandemic unemployed. It was the first time in my adult life where I finally had time to myself. Between work and socializing, I had previously left no space for self-reflection and although the world felt like it was unraveling, I was grateful for the forced opportunity to slow down.
It was during that time that I finally had the space to think and reflect on who I am and what is important to me. I finally acknowledged privately and publicly that I am non-binary and my pronouns are they/them. Slow mornings gave me the chance to acknowledge and step fully into my multi-faceted identity as a queer, mixed race, neurodivergent Asian person.
I am now at a place in my life where mornings are mine once again. Having a job where I am handed control and autonomy over my day is a damn privilege and one that I am so grateful for. Currently, I am three weeks into my new role and very much still figuring it out. I wish I could share a cute morning routine that I have, but the truth is that every day is different and I don’t try to force structure onto my mornings.
When I wake up, I let myself lay in bed and I try to tune in with how I am feeling and what I need at that moment. Sometimes, because of exhaustion or anxiety, I need to go back to sleep and set an alarm to get me up 15 minutes before my first meeting. Other times, I have the energy to get myself up and make breakfast and coffee before I start my day. There is no right or wrong way to go about your morning in a time where the world feels particularly cruel and untethered.
When I do have the time and energy to make myself coffee, I treasure it. After working in the industry for most of the last decade, letting coffee be something that I slow down and actually enjoy is a big change. Something that I value is brewing my coffee with intentionality. I mean this in a bigger picture sense - I choose coffee roasted by people who are special to me, or by those whose values align with my own. I make drinks that remind me of my friends and I text them that I am thinking of them. My morning coffee isn’t just a moment for me to take care of myself, but an opportunity to connect with my friends and community, even when they are across the country.
ICED OAT SALTED MAPLE LATTE
For added clarity, add two paper filters on top of a Prismo AeroPress screen.
Attach the body of the AeroPress, rinse with hot water, and add 20g of finely ground coffee (I set my Baratza Virtuoso+ at 4).
Start timer and saturate the grounds with 90g of water at 212F (this should take about 10 seconds.
Using a pair of chopsticks, or whatever you want, agitate coffee thoroughly for 20 seconds.
Place your AeroPress on you desired serving vessel.
At 1:10, press firmly and steadily until you hear a hissing noise, or there is no more coffee to extract from the AeroPress.
Add 12g of maple syrup, a pinch of sea salt and 80g of oat milk. Top off with ice and enjoy.
EXPLANATION
I chose this recipe because I fucking love iced lattes with all of my heart. I used Half-Caff, Honey! which was roasted by my friend Chelsea Thoumsin for her Matchbook Coffee Project release (although sold out, more details available here). Half-caff happens to be all that I drink these days, as my sensitivity to caffeine has increased. I used maple and sea salt for balanced sweetness at the suggestion of Maya Crowley, my dear friend and fellow Glitter Cat.
My kettle and grinder were given to me through my participation in Glitter Cat’s DiGiTiTiON. My pink Hario scale was gifted by a friend after I expressed delight and interest. The chopsticks are from Umeshiso, founded and operated by my dear friend and fellow coffee gaysian Umeko Motoyoshi. They were one of my very first friends in coffee. My roommate, who I met while working at Blue Bottle, gave me tracing paper to tape to our kitchen window to diffuse the light.
All this to say, this drink, as well as my accomplishments in coffee would not be possible without the love and support that I receive from all of the incredible friends that I have met along the way.
BIO
Name - Hana Yoshimoto
Pronouns - they/them
Job titles/recognitions:
Northern California Ambassador for Oatly US
Moderator for @coffeeasians IG
Member of the GoFundBean Advisory Committee
Chapter Liason for the SCA US Chapter National Committee
Hana Yoshimoto is a gaysian hospitality professional and barista who lives on occupied Chochenyo Ohlone land in Oakland, CA. Born in a cabin and raised on rural Miwok land an hour away, they are a Californian through and through. Hana loves 75 degree weather, their roommates cats, and sushi. Lots of sushi. They have been serving coffee and food for the last 13 years and have been in the specialty coffee industry for the last 6 years. They competed in the latte art category for Glitter Cat’s 2020 DiGiTiTiON, placing second with a beautiful and delicious marijuana infused beverage. In Hana’s spare time, you can find them supporting local pop-ups, restaurants, and cafes all around the Bay Area. Aside from being a gourmand, they are also a plant daddy and huge skincare enthusiast, as well as an aunt to two beautiful young humans. Hana is pretty good at bowling, parallel parking, and Wordle. They are also funny as hell. You can find their playlists here.
