In the beginning…

In the beginning…
There was the coffee plant. A tree that can grow up to 30 feet and produce flowers and coffee berries. Commercially grown plants are pruned to conserve their energy to produce more cherries, not height. This also makes the cherries
more accessible for harvesting. Coffee beans are the “pit” of the coffee cherry. The cherries grow along the branches of the tree and each tree can yield only TWO pounds of coffee per year.

Coffea (official botanical name, oh yeah we went all Latin on ya) grows best in rich soil, moderate temps, frequent ran and shaded from the sun. So, equatorial rainforests on mountainsides is primo coffee soil and conditions. Once picked from the trees the beans are processed one of a few ways.

1) Naturally. The cherries are left to dry and then the ean is
removed.
2) Washed. The cherries are fermented and then the cherry comes
off the bean then the beans are dried.
3) Honey process. The bean is removed from the cherry but the
thin outer skin is left intact to dry on the bean. This gives a sweeter
flavor.

Now you know a small bit about that delicious, essential, daily
beverage we all so enjoy. Stay tuned for more adventures with coffee! Next week we will travel the WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!

World Mental Health Day October 10 th
National Dessert Day October 14 th
(may help your mental health :)