THE SABBATICAL: The Bali Coffee for the Break You Keep Not Taking
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By Maryal Concepcion, MD, FAAFP · 6 minute read
Every physician has a sabbatical they are going to take next year. THE SABBATICAL is a medium-dark Bali Blue from the Kintamani Highlands, baker's chocolate, orange peel, and molasses, deep enough to slow you all the way down. This post starts with the name, then covers what is in the bag and how to brew it.
Why it is called THE SABBATICAL
Deep enough to slow you all the way down.
Academic medicine has a word for a year off to think. Everyone else in medicine has the word and none of the year. You talk about it at dinner. You say next year. You say when the loans are paid, when the kids are older, when the practice is stable. The calendar never has a gap in it because the calendar is not yours.
Dr. Victoria Leventis-Shew, DO, of Victory Family Medicine in Columbia, South Carolina, described the shape of that on My DPC Story, episode 257. Twenty hours a day of administrative work, patients booked six months out, three children born back to back inside a schedule she could not move:
"My life is just working. That is it."
When she thought about leaving, the advice she got was the one everyone gets. And her answer to it is the best line I have heard on the subject:
"The grass is always greener. It may be greener on the other side, but it's just as hard to mow."
She was right, and she left anyway. What I advocate for is not an easier job. It is a job you own. Direct Primary Care gives the calendar back to the physician, which is the only version of a sabbatical most of us will ever get: the ability to close the clinic for a week without asking anyone. Listen to episode 257 of My DPC Story.
What is in the bag
Single origin from the Kintamani Highlands of central Bali, Indonesia, grown by smallholder farmers organized through Subak Abian, a traditional Balinese farmer cooperative structure. Grown between 1,200 and 1,600 meters in volcanic loam, hand picked, wet hulled, and sun dried on raised beds. Bourbon, Typica, and Catimor. Medium-dark roast.
The cup. Baker's chocolate, orange peel, juniper, molasses, and a clean finish. Heavy body, low acidity. A coffee that sits down.
The bag. 12 ounces ground or whole bean, and a one pound whole bean. Roasted in frequent small batches based on customer demand, so it is not produced far in advance or held in storage.
The price. $22.99 for 12 ounces, $31.99 for the pound. Ships free at $50.
How to brew it
French press. Coarse, four minutes. The body this coffee has is wasted on a paper filter. Start here.
Drip. Standard grind, 1 to 16. Chocolate forward, orange peel at the end. An excellent afternoon pot.
Espresso. Wet-hulled Indonesians make a heavy, syrupy shot. Whole bean, grind fine, expect a lot of crema.
Cold brew. Sixteen to eighteen hours. Molasses and chocolate, almost no acidity. Very good.
Who this coffee is for
The physician who said next year again. This is the bag for the year it actually happens.
The one who just took the leave. Slow coffee for a slow morning. You earned both.
The person giving it. It is the politest possible way to say take a break.
Frequently asked questions
Is THE SABBATICAL a single origin coffee?
Yes. It is from the Kintamani Highlands of Bali, Indonesia, grown between 1,200 and 1,600 meters and processed by the wet-hulled method traditional to the region.
What does it taste like?
Baker's chocolate, orange peel, juniper, and molasses with a heavy body and low acidity. It is a medium-dark roast, so it is rich and rounded rather than bright.
What is wet-hulled coffee?
A processing method used in Indonesia where the parchment is removed while the bean is still moist, then dried. It produces the heavy body and low acidity Bali and Sumatra coffees are known for.
What is Subak Abian?
A traditional Balinese structure for organizing smallholder farmers cooperatively. The roaster sources this coffee through producers organized that way.
What is Direct Primary Care?
Direct Primary Care is a membership model where patients pay their physician directly, usually a flat monthly fee, for primary care. Because the physician owns the practice and the schedule, time off is a decision rather than a request. Physicians tell their own stories of building these practices on the My DPC Story podcast.
How do I find a Direct Primary Care doctor near me?
Search The DPC Directory, a free listing of Direct Primary Care practices by location.
More resources from My DPC Story
The My DPC Story Podcast. Three hundred episodes of physicians describing how they opened, grew, and run Direct Primary Care practices, in their own words.
The DPC Directory. Find a Direct Primary Care physician near you.
My DPC Story, episode 257 with Dr. Victoria Leventis-Shew. The burnout conversation is at 4:21 and the greener grass line at 16:03.
Shop this coffee
THE SABBATICAL, 12 oz or 1 lb · from $22.99
Bali Blue is also one of the six in THE DIFFERENTIAL.
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