Jan 08 Published by menfield. We had an early start at our first morning in Armonia Ambiental, however getting up was easy due to our excitement for the day.
While excited for hiking and the coffee making process, something else took the crown — milking cows. After a delicious breakfast, Orlando and Dario took us to their beautiful, and very pregnant cow.
One by one, we all took turns milking her, which was scary and exciting all at the same time. While reluctant to leave the cows, Nelson and Dario took us on a beautiful hike through the forest looking for birds. The terrain was steep and challenging at times but we managed to see a Toucan!
They were extremely educated about the birds, plants and animals surrounding their farm. Continuing the hike, we climbed a steep hill to reach the coffee bean portion of the finca, which is a passion for the entire family. Nelson showed us the berry which the coffee bean was inside. Most of us had no idea it even came from a berry. It begins with taking the bean from the berry and roasting that. Then you put all those beans and smash the shell off of them, we each got a chance to try.
Following removing the of the shell, it goes through a sifter type mechanism. Then you roast the beans again! After being roasted to perfection, the beans go through a grinder and there you go! While a long and tedious process, the taste is totally worth it.
