How Coffee is Made
cre: How Coffee is Made
I am a heavy coffee drinker so when I found out I was going to have the chance to learn how coffee is made I was more than happy. Costa Rica has a large market for coffee and there are coffee plantations in many parts of the country.
The place where the richest coffee is said to come from an area called Los Santos. Los Santos is in the highlands, which is much cooler than the lowlands. In Los Santos, around 90% of the population depends on income from coffee production, so coffee is very important to the community here. The cooler air allows the coffee to grow better than when the coffee plants are in constant heat. As the lowlands are warmer, everything happens faster, and you could say that the process is almost rushed. Another reason why the highlands are better is that climate change affects the flowering process of coffee plants where it is too hot.
We took a coffee tour this week to learn about different methods of growing and brewing coffee. It was really fascinating to learn the differences between organic coffee farms and conventional coffee farms, as our tour guides connected it to the environment. The way food is grown can actually destroy our soil, which will be detrimental to future generations. This is just one of the many reasons why we should be considering more organic farming methods.
Something we have seen is that organic coffee farms have more diversification than conventional farms. To preserve the soil and help the coffee grow better, farmers will have other plants on their farms to provide shade. They also make their own fertilizer which allows nutrients to return to the soil. Some of the plants and the diversity they have on their farms include bananas and avocados, which really made the plantings so captivating.
To make coffee, it takes a lot of people, and many organic farms depend on volunteers. When the coffee is ready to be picked, which looks like red cherries (sometimes they are yellow), people go to each plant and pick each one by hand all day in the sun. When they pick the berries, they put them in a basket called “Canasta,” which is a basket that can be tied around a person’s waist. Not only did we have the chance to see the coffee plantations, but we also got to see the process of what happens after the coffee beans are picked from the plants. I have learned that there are different types of coffee, like natural coffee and coffee with honey. Cherries need to be peeled and every day they are moved so that they can dry in the sun and prepare for the next step. Once dried, they are placed in a machine to make sure they are the right size, clean, and weigh a certain amount of weight. At the end, each grain is individually checked by the people who work in it.
Later that weekend I was lucky enough to go to another coffee farm, Hacienda Alsacia Starbucks Coffee Farm. This is the only coffee farm that Starbucks owns, and I have to say it was really cool to see. At the coffee farm there were detailed murals, breathtaking views, and lots of coffee. This beautiful farm supplies all the Starbucks in Costa Rica with coffee and preserves the coffee farm forests, which I found really neat.
As you can see, producing coffee is not an easy process, and after meeting the farmers and seeing what they do every day, I really think I like coffee more. Now, every time I take a sip of coffee in the morning, I think about the effort and work that went into making this delicious coffee.
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