The best part of waking up...

One of the more recent adventures our orientation group experienced was spending the day at a coffee farm in the highlands and participated in the harvesting process, from the bean to the cup (which we got to drink the coffee we harvested and then brewed). Getting to the farm was an adventure in itself, as we were unable to make it up the steep, muddy, very rough road thanks to last night’s rain. It was almost like trying to make it up a gravel road in slushy snow and ice: near impossible. The locals made fun of us as our driver had to back down the hill – silly wazungu! But we were laughing too and eventually found an alternative route (which really was in no better condition but not as steep). We traveled deeper into the forest (which looked more like a jungle to me) until we reached the coffee farm.

We visited with the farmer and his wife and learned about his business and family. The farmer inherited the 2-acre coffee farm from his father and now sells coffee both in a free private market to local buyers and also to corporate markets, which distribute it to places like Japan, Canada and parts of Scandinavia, though he prefers to sell the coffee locally because people pay up front and the deal is final. Corporate deals differ in that the farmer gets paid in three separate installments and has to attend meetings before, during and after the sale. The three installments might seem to be a more secure payment method, but the farmer said when he’s given the money up front in cash, he can immediately use that money to pay for his five children’s education, something he values greatly. One interesting fact about coffee farmers here is that apparently if you’re a coffee farmer, it means you’re also a banana farmer because amongst the coffee plants are banana trees. The banana trees’ fallen leaves become natural mulch, fertilizing the coffee plants (plus, the farmer can also harvest bananas and sell at the market, too).

Although it’s still a little early for harvesting, we helped picked the bright red coffee berries (as you can see me doing in the picture) then separated the berries from a hand-crank pulping machine. The berries become useful as compost while the seeds go onto the next step. After rinsing them with clean water, we used sticks and mortar to crack the seeds’ outer shells, which are then sifted out. Finally, we roasted the beans by cooking them in a pot over an open fire, making sure to keep stirring in order to ensure a consistent aroma, flavor and color. We ground the beans we picked, then boiled the powder in water over the fire and tasted it. Mmm, so good!! It was the best, richest coffee ever (though it was quite strong, reminding me more of espresso) with enough caffeine to last me a week!