I don’t really understand the point system or grade, but to be a special coffee one needs 85 points. The highest grade is Presidential and costs between $100-$200 per pound..
When the coffee beans are harvested, they pour them into a giant water bath. The ones that float are discarded. Those coffee beans have been eaten by bugs.
Altitude, weather, and soil are factors that affect the coffee and differ by year. The weather can’t be too hot, too windy, or too rainy.
Terruá owns their own coffee plantation in the cloud forest. When the coffee is spread out to dry, it is vulnerable and attracts animals who want a quick snack.
Cesar and Kati remember having two tablespoons of instant coffee (Nescafé) every morning with their grandmas. Perú did not have a coffee culture so they are grateful for Starbucks to lead the way for specialty coffee shops.
There is an Institute of Baristas. The instructor comes to this coffee shop. He recommends his best students to work here. There is a lot of effort to grow and roast coffee, but then you need to have a good barista or all the effort is wasted. Time, weight, and temperature are important when MAKING the coffee.
César likes Espresso because it is like his wife … naturally intense and complex. Most people drink an espresso as a shot, but you should drink it slowly.
Espresso originated in Italy. It is a dark roast because they like bitter. During WWII, the CRAZY Americans would dilute it with water. A good espresso has a cream on top and lasts more than two minutes … if you can wait that long!
A cappuccino is an expresso with milk. No cappuccino is ordered after 12 noon. It’s disrespectful. A latte has more milk and is where a non coffee drinker usually starts. It is more milk than coffee.
Which has more caffeine? Regular coffee or espresso or cold drip? The answer is that cold drip has the most caffeine and espresso has the least. It is the amount of time that it takes to brew. The longer it comes into contact with water, the more the caffeine. Bitterness is not related to caffeine.
It was fun but I still don’t like coffee. I don’t like when people tell me that I will get use to it. WHY??
Victor Delfín
Terrorism
Perú experienced terrorism in the 1980’s. Cocaine was at the root of it. A lot of innocent people were killed. Judges and their families were threatened so they let the criminals go. They were unstoppable. However, in 1995, they came up with a simple clever idea. The judges had their faces covered so that no one could recognize or identity them. The terrorists started to be jailed.
Peru, Colombia, and Bolivia are the biggest producers of cocaine. Peru is not a drug culture. Perúvians don’t even smoke. During breaks, they eat and talk.
Cathedral of Lima
Parishioners want to be buried under the church. There is only so much space so it goes to the highest bidder which is called a benefactor. People were layered eight deep and separated by a layer of quicklime and sand.
The wood is mostly cedar. Perú has a lot of cedar, but it is in the jungle so there was no way to get it to Lima. Cedar came from Panama and Nicaragua.
Church of San Francisco
Francis of Assisi never even knew that Perú existed, but a Franciscan church started by his followers is located here..
Gregorian chants were in Latin and sung by the choir. These books were huge so that all could be seen.
In the library, there are over 20,000 books mostly in Latin, Greek, Spanish, and Portuguese. The oldest are on the lowest level and are from the 15th to the 19th centuries.
We weren’t allowed to take pictures in the church, but there is a unique painting of the last supper. It has a round table and is also serving potatoes which is an effort to invite the local culture into Catholicism.
There are over 30,000 people buried in the crypts below this church. May they rest in peace.
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