The founders of Vero Cafe, Laima and Darius, went on a tour of coffee plantations and farms organized by the Producer & Roaster Forum, for coffee professionals. The purpose of this trip is new connections, knowledge, experience and, of course, the search for new types of coffee.
During the trip, we visited coffee farms in El Salvador and Panama, we share moments from a trip full of impressions, smells and tastes.
During the trip to the coffee farms of El Salvador and Panama, we had the opportunity to once again make sure that the secret of quality coffee lies not only in the barista, but also at the very beginning of the coffee journey - in the plantation.
Here, hard-working and coffee-loving farmers carefully care for their coffee plants, ensuring they receive the right amount of sunlight, water and nutrients. During the harvest season, the coffee berries are carefully picked by hand to ensure only the highest quality the beans would go into your cup. It's incredible how much effort is required to grow, pick and process coffee berries for the perfect cup of coffee, which, for us, is within reach whenever we want.
But let's start from the beginning. In coffee plantations, coffee begins its journey in the form of a small plant, also known as a soldier. A plant of several months, carefully inspected before planting in the plantation, because coffee plants are extremely susceptible to various diseases and one plant can infect a large part of the plantation. After planting, depending on the species, you have to wait up to several years before it produces its first crop.
When the coffee plantations bloom, the entire region is colored with white, jasmine-like flowers that bring celebration to the coffee plantations. Coffee harvesting is a very important step in the coffee production process, as the quality of the beans depends on the care taken during this process.
In the plantations we visited, the picking season was already coming to an end. During this time, the coffee pickers carefully inspect each tree every day and pick only the ripe cherries, leaving the others to continue ripening. This is a labor-intensive process. Workers must be careful not to damage branches or unripe berries that will be harvested later.
On average, one person collects about 100 kg per day. coffee berries. And this is only about 16 kg. green coffee beans. Growing coffee is a really labor intensive and complex process. However, precisely for this reason, quality coffee is extremely exclusive, highly valued and expensive. And for coffee lovers, it brings indescribable tastes, sensations and aftertastes.
