Ritual No. 1: Morning Coffee + Jazz-Funk

The Day ritual is simple: coffee first, then the needle.

Here's the version we keep coming back to — a pour-over of something bright (Ethiopian, if you're choosing) next to 70s jazz-funk. Herbie's Head Hunters era, Roy Ayers on a Sunday, the kind of records that sound like sunlight through blinds. The coffee wakes you up; the record tells you what kind of day it's going to be.

The formula, if you want one:

1. Grind fresh. Whole bean, ground right before the brew. Non-negotiable.
2. Pick the record before the coffee finishes. Decision fatigue kills the ritual — commit early.
3. Side A only, to start. If you flip it, the morning's going well.

Our house pour-over shelf has the coffees for it, and the vinyl shelves have the records. TasteMatch can pair them for you if you tell it what you're into — or just dig. That's half the ritual anyway.