My Introduction to Suspended Coffees

Whenever I walk into a nice coffee shop on a horrid miserable rainy day I always think how lucky I am that I can afford to buy something to warm myself up with. So many people can’t afford to do that. The other day I read an interesting article about suspended coffees.

The writer was sitting in a coffee shop when a lady placed an order for 2 latte’s and 2 suspended coffees. The writer was puzzled but thought that maybe she had a made a mistake. About half an hour later a group of 6 men came in smartly dressed and all with big briefcases, and ordered 6 cuppachinos and 4 suspended coffees.

Finally the curiosity got to the writer and he went up to the barista and asked “what are suspended coffees”. He explained it in a simple but moving way. He said that people buy coffee for those who can’t afford it and it is placed on hold until someone asks for it. They can then enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee paid for by a complete stranger in relative warmth and comfort. It’s a unique principle he said, and it is slowly catching on with some places even offering suspended meals.

It’s a simple and easy way to give back to the community. The idea started in Naples, then moved to Bulgaria and it is now becoming a world wide phenomena with dozens of Facebook pages devoted to it. Of course there are those who think it is silly and a waste of time and the plan is not perfect because we all know some idiot, while driving a luxury vehicle would do the immoral act of ordering a suspended coffee when clearly he does not need it.

This practice has caught on in many places and is helping many cold people to enjoy a piping hot cup of java paid for by a strangers kindness. What do you think? Could we implement this in SA?

Watch this space for updates in the Opinion category on Running Wolf’s Rant.