Coffee

Raise your hand if you drink coffee. Raise your hand if you really enjoy coffee and have had many meaningful, life-altering conversations over a cup of this gift. Raise your hand if you know what a French press is (no, not Tony Parker playing defense in the backcourt). Do you know what the term "fully city roast" means? What about the term "cupping"?

Anyway, coffee is a part of most of our daily lives. Most of us don't even think about not having it. In recent years I've learned to appreciate the different ways of drinking, brewing, and roasting it (I'll have to put up some vids of me roasting coffee at home). And now, being in Panama (especially in high elevations), we are right in the midst of a coffee growing culture, a part of the process that I've never been able to see in person. So here's what I'm interested in learning:

How does coffee grow?

What makes some coffees better than others?

Who makes the most money in this business?

Do the workers get paid enough? If I see working conditions will I still want to drink coffee?

Would I ever want to have a coffee shop someday?

Here's our first half-a-day visit to a major coffee growing region. The city is called Boquete. Enjoy.

It's all Christmassy, with the deep green leaves and ripe, red coffee cherries.

Coffee beans (or seeds) come from these "coffee cherries" below. Each cherry has 2 bean halves.

The view down into the valley. Coffee grows best in high altitudes.

Trying a way-too-expensive cup of coffee. But, hey, I had to.

My coffee budget for the week!