We visited La Azotea coffee plantation and got to experience the process of producing coffee, from planting, harvesting to roasting. As a pretty big coffee drinker, this tour taught me a lot about coffee, and gave me a newfound appreciation for the dedication and effort it takes to make our morning iced latte.
The guide started by differentiating robusta and arabica coffee, which are produced in different parts of the world. Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia are the three biggest coffee producers in the world, producing robusta coffee which focuses on quantity. Arabica is costlier and higher quality, produced in Ethiopia, Guatemala and many other countries.
Coffee beans begin as a Cherry, which is the red fruit a coffee plant produces around 3-5 years after it is planted. The skin is then peeled back, revealing the coffee bean. Some of our classmates got to try the fruit, and said it tasted like bell peppers! The bean is then fermented, dried on the rooftop, or the “azotea”, then roasted to create the coffee beans we all know and love.
Photo of a coffee cherry and flower by Hudson Day
Photo of the “azotea” by Gabriel Jones
As labor intensive as coffee production is, I was surprised to learn that a coffee tree produces about one pound of coffee beans, equivalent to just 30 cups of coffee. Our guide said that to him, coffee means love and passion, and after this tour I can definitely understand why one would think so. So much work and time for a drink everyone seems to have in hand. I can only think about the acres and acres of coffee farms and numerous laborers it takes to fuel the world with coffee.
This tour prompted me to rethink our current food systems, and the way international trade and distribution of food as a commodity has led to a disconnect between us and our food sources. Rather than a means of nourishment or a part of our culture and heritage, food is valued through the profit it can bring. We should all be more informed about the sources of our food, and this coffee tour was just one example of how much goes into producing everything we consume.