Today we visited the DOTA farm, where we got to learn some new things about the coffee process through a cooperative perspective rather than just a single farm. Instead of following the methods of a traditional farm and solely using one area of land, a cooperative takes coffee from various producers and then creates a “blend” of these different coffee beans to export. DOTA has 900 producers around the area that are involved in a contract together and have a say in the methods and processes. A cooperative, like DOTA, guarantees a good batch of coffee, because even if one producer is unable to produce quality coffee, there are lots of other producers that will step in and provide their own company. While with a traditional farm, if there is a disease, it will likely spread across the whole plantation and wipe out the whole crop leaving the farm at a major disadvantage. However, although a cooperative sounds great, there are still some disadvantages. For instance, in DOTA, all 900 producers have to agree on a decision before it is made. This makes it really difficult for any change or innovation to occur because even if one person is in disagreement, they automatically veto the decision. This may prevent DOTA from developing and growing in good ways.

Without a cooperative, the community of Santa María de Dota would have to find other ways to earn a living. Because out of the approximate 1200 residents of the town, 900 are part of the cooperative. Being apart of the cooperative allows them to live and feed their families, and also provides them with other benefits. Café Privilegios is important for the community because it puts everything the families and farms produce into action and the true coffee process. Café Privilegios shares its wealth with tourists by providing tours and an area where tourists and even locals can try the incredible products in a welcoming environment. This comforts the locals and shows that their hard work isn’t put to waste, but instead shared with everyone else.

I love drinking all different types of coffees: cappucinos, lattes, iced coffee, the list goes on. But today at Dota, I finally got to learn the mastery and technique behind all of these different varieties of coffee beverages. I learned that there are three different ways to make a cup of coffee: drop, immersion, and pressure. To be honest, I never knew the processes actually changed the flavor of the coffee let alone that dark roast had less caffeine than the light roast. So good thing we went on this tour. I’d have to say that out of all three processes, my favorite would have to be the immersion technique because it creates an intense flavor and body rather than acidity which is how I like my coffee. Overall, this was a great learning experience and it really motivated me to start cooking up quality coffee at home.