Did someone say coffee?

As you already know (if you've read my previous blogs anyway) I am not a coffee drinker. But my dear friend Carol is a coffee connoisseur of sorts and for that reason was thrilled to be going to a coffee plantation.  

Roasted coffe has to "rest" for at least a few months
for it to taste its best.

Our visit was arranged with just a phone call, a willing hacienda owner and a bit of time devoted to the trip.  We had no navigation or mileage showing on our rental vehicle during this trip.  But the hacienda owner's directions were so good that as it turned out we needed neither.  We talked coffee, politics, travel, and local flora & fauna.  It was an island paced tour that was such an education for me.  And as I have always believed in local whenever possible and when not always fair trade, this wonderful man confirmed it all for me.  This is the result of our visit and tour of the coffee plantation.

Carol - purchased 8 oz. of coffee $15.00

Toni - purchased 3 lbs. of coffee $90.00

Carol - tour $15.00

Toni - tour $15.00

Carol - fun quotient of 100%

Toni - fun quotient of 100%

Now just imagine if I had actually been a coffee drinker.  I shudder to think of the cost.  

This was Leo the lizard who became very brave probably
because he was very hungry and he wanted some banana
bread made with plantation grown bananas.

Leo came up on our table, then he got even braver and came
up on the plate and if you look closely you can see his
tongue as he licks up the crumbs.

Leo got very brave and took a bite from the banana bread
and then took off for fear we would take a bite out of him. 

This was called a "fake banana" flower.  It looks
similar but doesn't produce fruit.

Green coffee growing on the branch.  It can only be
picked once it has turned a dark red almost cherry red
color.  

Almost ready but not quite dark enough.  Another 2-4 weeks and it will be ready to pick.  

The coffee plant branches get very heavy as the fruit gets
closer to maturity.  They were almost touching the ground
from the weight.  

Fresh oranges that are ripening on the tree.  

Every chew a coffee bean that hasn't been roasted?  Well
we got the chance to do just that.  The green part are the
coffee beans.  The fruit is all chewed up and red.  Sweet
fruit which was quite delicious.

This is the real
banana flower with
the fruit still green
and ripening on
the tree.

A bromeliad that was planted under the trees
on the plantation.  

I have no idea what this plant was, I asked.  But sadly
Carl (the hacienda owner) couldn't remember the
name of it.  But it was so unusual and beautiful.

Another plant that I thought was gorgeous but Carl couldn't
remember it's name.  It was so beautiful it looked fake.
Waxy and supple petals that layer upon layer open up.  

This is a local fruit which is eaten by everyone.  These were
not ripe yet, but we tasted them anyway.  They were
quite bitter and I personally didn't like the taste.  I prefer
the taste of the coffee fruit.

Orchids growing on the trees on the Hacienda.  Trees
in Puerto Rico are more like hosts for other plants than
actual plants on their own.  

For sorting the coffee fruit after it is picked
and washed and sorted.

Roasting the coffee.  A specific temp
must be used to get the best flavor out
of the bean.