Today, we learned about how the coffee beans were prepared to be shipped out. We were fortunate enough to be able to get a view inside the plantation, look at the actual beans and berries themselves, and even get to taste test the coffee!
The start of the process consists of planting the seed itself, and once it grows into the actual plant, it will last for 25 years. This is surprising because I thought the plant would last much longer (technically it lasts for 100 years) but is most productive until 25.
Then, the plant must be picked. The tour guide explained that they have many workers from Nicaragua come to pick the plant in season, where they will be housed, with all expenses paid for besides food. And they get paid $30 per day. My first thoughts were that this was not a lot of money, but after thinking about it, I realized that it is good money for them because they can then take it back to their country, where it triples in value.
It then goes through many processes like sorting, pulping the cherries, fermenting, drying, storing, milling, and grading to ensure that they are top tier quality before being shipped out to companies.
As for the technology they use, I know that the mill we saw today was the oldest in the country, so I am aware that at other production sites, there is much faster, updated machinery to produce the beans. I feel as if I am not educated enough in the whole coffee making buisness to say if there is a better way to do it. It seems that Costa Rica has been doing a great job; they have been coffee producers for the United States, Europe, and Japan for many years and we still buy from them, so they must be doing something right.
I did taste the coffee, although I feel as if I am biased because I do not like the taste of any coffee at all. Honestly, Costa Rican coffee is probably the same as any other competing country. I bet it doesn’t even matter in the end because the true taste is up to the companies they sell it to, depending on how long they roast it for. I could get back to you on this one because my dad is an avid coffee drinker and I got him a bag, so I am curious to see what he says compared to my inexperienced tastebuds.
Overall, it was a pretty cool experience. I’m sure not many could say they saw how their Starbucks coffee was made, from the ground up.