Monthly Archives: March 2010

23. Photos: Inspired by Coffee

2010-03-31 Comments Off on 23. Photos: Inspired by Coffee

when my photos were made to look very good by the excellent design firm here in Guatemala that created the CAFE Livelihoods 2009-2010 Yearbook, I started feeling pretty good about myself. Then I went to the Inspired by Coffee photo exhibit at Anacafé, and got a big dose of humility.

22. Photos: A day in the life of a coffee cherry

2010-03-29 Comments Off on 22. Photos: A day in the life of a coffee cherry

The coffee harvest is just…irresistible. My eyes (and camera) are invariably drawn to the bright red of the coffee cherries, which make their way in just a few hours’ time from the trees where they are picked to a sticky rest in the fermentation tank — the truimphant conclusion of many months of patient maturation. Here are a few images documenting the last day in the life of some very special coffee cherries from Lake Atitlán in Guatemala.

21. Photos: The hands behind your coffee

2010-03-26 Comments Off on 21. Photos: The hands behind your coffee

On my recent visit to Olopa here in Guatemala, I had the pleasure of spending some time with two fantastic people — Don Bernardino and Doña Francisca.  During our visit, Don Bernardino was very expressive in conversation, using his hands to emphasize a point, demonstrate the physical quality of his coffee, dig into his worm […]

20. The (rain) water in your coffee

2010-03-19 Comments Off on 20. The (rain) water in your coffee

Last week I suggested that the best water may the water that does not go into processing your coffee. Today I am here to say that if you must use water in the milling process, make it rainwater!

19. The water (not) in your coffee

2010-03-12 Comments Off on 19. The water (not) in your coffee

Every year, the trade show at the SCAA annual conference includes at least a few vendors selling the latest and greatest technology to filter, purify, ionize or otherwise ensure the quality of the water you put in your coffee. But you rarely hear anything at SCAA about the countless millions of gallons of water that are used to mill your coffee at origin. As it turns out, the best water may be the water that doesn’t go into your coffee.

18. Field notes: Olopa – Chiquimula – Guatemala

2010-03-05 Comments Off on 18. Field notes: Olopa – Chiquimula – Guatemala

Guatemala is home to some of the world’s most celebrated coffee origins – Antigua, Huehuetenango, Atitlán, San Marcos. But there are other lesser-known origins within Guatemala that produce extraordinary coffees. The CAFE project accompanies farmers in some of the traditionally prized Guatemalan origins as well as some of the worthy but lesser-known ones, including some very special farmers in New Oriente who are producing some very special coffees.