Coffee

Recently a German friend watered down her coffee as we sat on a lovely Swedish island. It reminded me of my history with coffee. Swedish coffee is very dark, often somewhat bitter. Packed with caffeine. But at least it is strong.

Kenya is where I learned about coffee espresso varieties after a short tutorial from a visiting friend who had spent time working as a Starbucks barista - one of her 3 jobs to put herself through an MPH (Masters of Arts in Public Health). (Macchiato are still my favorite – often the best deal and no fear of too milky a cappuccino.)

In Rwanda, when I first arrived I was always struck by the Nescafé (instant coffee) and the Nido (powdered milk). For a country whose primary export is coffee it was surprising, but if you can get more for exporting a product, you price yourself out, being able to yield greater profits from sale and thus cutting your own consumption. Another example of this is the pick-up of Quinoa as a “new super-food” hitting U.S. and European markets. The central American populations which had lived off this “new” discovery for hundreds, probably thousands of years now had to supplement with new products.  See this NYTimes article .

Java House in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Photo from:blog

In Burundi and Kenya, local coffee was consumed. In Burundi it almost always came ground, but in Kenya, thanks in part to a growing café culture among middle class Kenyans and the international city, I quickly learned to appreciate coffee.

It was great to discover whole bean Solomon Island coffee, a company owned and operated by Solomon Islanders. Much improved from the instant coffee available for breakfast at the first Honiara hotel I’d been to.

Those 9 months in Sweden have turned me even further into a coffee drinker – only Finland’s population consumes more than the Swedes (or sojourning Swedes like me.)

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For an interesting look at the coffee industry that will make you always want to buy Fair Trade watch: “Black Gold” to watch the journey of an Ethiopian working for local farmers. http://blackgoldmovie.com/economics-of-coffee