A Walk Down Memory List

Some people are collectors, others are not. 

For Gabe, he certainly finds it hard often to throw things out, from old shirts with holes to books to little bits left of a dessert or candy. He also loves keeping track of things, mostly for his own sake and a trip or two down memory lane. His journal includes a list of all his trips and he also has noted every book he has read since moving up to Milwaukee about 6 years ago (about 600).

His coffee experiences, of course, are no different. The record keeping/collecting mainly falls into two buckets. The first are coffee bags. When he really began to fully lean into his love of coffee shortly after moving to Milwaukee, he also began to notice carefully the marketing that goes one with each bag of coffee. It reminded him of an experience back during his days as a new college alum when he went into a wine shop with a good friend working in branding and they spent a good while dissecting what each bottle’s name and label conveyed to us as the consumer (though we probably still went for the five dollar “red blend”). 

Ever since, he has methodically kept each unique coffee bag that he has bought and brewed. He will even bring coffee back for friends as a gift, but request that they return the bag so he can keep it in his collection (thanks to those of you who have abided!). A couple of times, he has definitely made the mistake of being taken by the branding and choosing a coffee by its cover, so to speak, but only once did he not drink what was actually in it. This winner goes to an instant coffee in a glass jar he brought back from India - just couldn’t make it happen.

The collection is proudly displayed in his office above his desk (see picture) and brings him great joy and memories.

The other collection is a list of coffee shops he has visited. As he has touched many - though not all - in the Milwaukee area, his list usually grows when traveling. A recent trip, for example, saw three new ones in a span of 18 hours (walking multiple miles total to sample their wares). 

So, take a second and guess how many Gabe has accumulated on this list. You, of course, need to factor in when he started (about five years ago, though he did try to include ones he distinctly remembers from his past). Each place can only be counted once, but a Starbucks in a new location does count (he’s visited 21 by his list, but he is pretty sure that’s an undercount as its hard to get excited about adding a Starbucks to the list).

Think about it and guess (and maybe even write it down below in a comment).

Well, the total comes to 160 - impressive, but also room for growth. So, how many have you visited? Let us know!