Baristas In The Mist

Hola, Brian from Boston doing our entry this evening. Im trying to wrap my head around all that has happened in the last two action packed days. From more field work on a farm with a 70% slope to touring a cooperative in the Dota region, to hiking in the cloud forest of Los Quetzales National Park its been amazing.

We started Saturday morning with a conversation with Don Walter about the challenges of his farm in the Tarrazu region, and worked his farm climbing up and down terrain steeper than some things Ive repelled down in the past. The clouds rolled in early in the morning making for some fantastic photos but tough work. We couldn't stop thinking about how difficult it would be for the coffee pickers to climb this farm with 100lbs of coffee tied to their back, since most of us could barely keep upright with just our clipboards and tape measures.

We next had the opportunity to tour Coope Dota and get a feel for how the coffee goes from harvest to roast, and everything in between. Ending with a wonderful experience tasting some of their excellent coffee. I never would have imagined going from the farm to the processing to the roasting to the drinking all in one day......

To much to recap all tonight suffice it to say Costa Rica is full of surprises, and I cant wait for my experiences tomorrow!