1
[ THUNDER RUMBLING ]
[ ALL SPEAKING SPANISH ]
[ CHILD SQUEALS ]
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-IN INDIA, PEOPLE HAVE HEARD
OF TEA TASTING,
ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTH,
BUT IN THE SOUTH,
STILL TEA TASTING WAS NO ALL THAT FAMILIAR,
AND COFFEE TASTING WAS,
OF COURSE, TOTALLY UNHEARD OF.
SO WHEN I USED TO TELL PEOPLE
THAT I HAD A VERY FASCINATING
JOB OF BEING A TASTER,
MY INSTANT REACTION WOULD BE,
"WHAT?
YOU MEAN
YOU'RE JUST CUPPING CUPS
AND THEN YOU'RE SPITTING OU AND THEN GETTING PAID FOR IT?
YOU MEAN YOU HAVE A COFFEE BREAK
ALL THE TIME?
WHAT A FASCINATING JOB.
I'D LOVE TO HAVE
A JOB LIKE THAT."
-I'VE DONE THIS FOR 22 YEARS.
[ CHUCKLES ]
EVERY TIME I MAKE COFFEE --
AND I'M ON THE BAR A LOT,
YOU KNOW.
I'M STILL A BARISTA,
AND I'M ABOUT TO BE
THE WORLD'S OLDEST BARISTA.
I'M JUST TELLING YOU.
THAT'S MY GOAL.
BUT EVERY TIME I MAKE COFFEE,
I FEEL AT PEACE.
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
[ LAUGHS ]
-THE MOST FASCINATING THING IS
THAT IT'S SOMETHING
THAT SO MANY CULTURES SHARE,
AND WE ALL LIKE TO PREPARE
AND DRINK COFFEE,
YOU KNOW,
THE WAY THAT WE ALL LIKE TO,
BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT,
YOU KNOW,
WHEN THE SUN COMES UP
IN THE MORNING,
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE
IN THE WORLD,
SOMEBODY'S ENJOYING A CUP.
-THE SMELL OF COFFEE
FOR, I GUESS, FOR EVERY ITALIAN,
IS THE MORNING,
BECAUSE AS SOON AS YOU WAKE UP,
THE SMELL OF THIS NICE COFFEE
THAT YOU CAN DRINK
AS SOON AS YOU GET TO THE TABLE
WITH YOUR PARENTS,
WITH YOUR SISTER, BROTHER,
DOGS --
WHATEVER YOU HAVE AT HOME.
-IT'S A GOOD WAY TO WAKE UP
IN THE MORNING FOR ME,
AND SINCE I DRINK A VERY SPECIAL
BRAND OF COFFEE,
THAT IN ITSELF GIVES ME
AN OPPORTUNITY
TO START MY DAY OFF
IN THE RIGHT WAY.
-THERE'S ALWAYS, LIKE,
THIS ONE MOMEN RIGHT BEFORE I DRINK
MY FIRST COFFEE
THAT'S LIKE A SACRED MOMENT,
WHERE I'M GRATEFUL
THAT I HAVE I AND I KNOW THAT EVERYTHING'S
GONNA GET BETTER AFTER THAT.
-EVEN FROM THE TIME I WAS A KID,
A LOT OF MY RELATIVES WORKED
AT FOLGERS,
YOU KNOW,
SO COFFEE WAS THIS SMELL,
THIS AROMA
THAT WAS JUST INTOXICATING.
-I CAN'T GO A DAY
WITHOUT COFFEE.
MY MIND DOES NOT WORK
WITHOUT COFFEE.
I COULD USE A COFFEE RIGHT NOW.
-WHEN YOU'RE DRINKING
AND YOU STILL GE A BREATH OF AIR AFTER THAT?
[ EXHALES DEEPLY ]
YOU'RE AN ADDICT.
-WHEN YOU'RE WORKING
BEHIND A COFFEE BAR
AND YOU'RE HANDING CUPS
OF COFFEE TO PEOPLE,
YOU KNOW,
AND THEY REALLY WANT IT,
YOU'RE LIKE,
"WOW, I'M KIND OF A PEDDLER."
-IT'S A DRUG.
I MEAN, IT'S -- YOU KNOW,
IT'S ONE OF THE FEW DRUGS I DO.
I LIKE IT.
-MY MOTHER DRANK COFFEE,
MY FATHER DRANK COFFEE,
MY BROTHERS,
MY SISTERS DRANK COFFEE.
-YOU KNOW,
COFFEE DOESN'T JUST HAVE TO BE
THIS MORNING ADDICTION FIX.
IT CAN BE SOMETHING
THAT PEOPLE TURN INTO A RITUAL
THAT IS CULINARY
AND VERY PERSONAL
AND GUIDED BY QUALITY.
-THE THING ABOUT COFFEE IS
THAT EVERY STEP REQUIRES
THIS AMAZING FOCUS
AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL.
IT'S TAKEN FOR GRANTED
BY MOST PEOPLE,
AND THAT'S THE THING
THAT APPEALS TO ME
MOST ABOUT COFFEE,
BECAUSE IT'S THIS INCREDIBLE,
EXOTIC THING
WITH THIS INCREDIBLE BACK STORY
GOING BACK TO ETHIOPIA
AND TOUCHES INDONESIA,
LATIN AMERICA, COLONIALISM,
AND MODERN AGRICULTURAL EXCHANGE
SITTING THERE ON THEIR
BREAKFAST TABLE EVERY MORNING.
[ ALL SPEAKING NATIVE LANGUAGE ]
-IN THE
ETHIOPIAN COFFEE CEREMONY,
A WOMAN -- IT'S ALWAYS A WOMAN
AND IT'S ALWAYS AT THE HEAD
OF THE HOUSEHOLD
OR A SIGNIFICANT PLACE
IN THE COMMUNITY --
PREPARES THE COFFEE.
SHE ROASTS IT, SHE GRINDS IT,
SHE BREWS IT.
IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS CEREMONY
THAT IS FOR HER FAMILY
AND HER FRIENDS.
THE TRADITION IS
FOR PEOPLE TO INTERACT,
TO TALK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING
IN THE VILLAGE
OR IN THE HOUSEHOLD.
AND WHEREVER COFFEE HAS GONE
FROM ETHIOPIA TO YEMEN,
FROM YEMEN THROUGHOUT ARABIA,
AND FROM THERE TO EUROPE
AND FROM EUROPE
ALL OVER THE WORLD,
THIS TRADITION
OF COFFEE PREPARATION,
THAT IDEA OF SOCIAL INTERACTION
HAS ALWAYS GONE WITH IT.
SO IN ETHIOPIA, IT WAS
THE VILLAGE AND THE HOUSEHOLD.
IN ARABIA, IT WAS THE SOUK,
YOU KNOW,
THE MARKETPLACE,
WHERE PEOPLE WOULD HAVE COFFEE.
IN EUROPE, IT WAS
THE COFFEEHOUSE IN THE CITY
WHERE INTELLECTUALS WOULD GATHER
OR OTHER SOCIAL INTERACTION.
NOW WHAT THE COFFEEHOUSE
HAS BECOME IS THAT SAME THING,
ONLY IN THE CONTEX OF, YOU KNOW,
21st-CENTURY
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES.
SO WHAT WE'VE SEEN
IN THE PAST 10 YEARS
AND WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW
IS THE REDISCOVERY
OF COFFEE
AS A CULINARY EXPERIENCE.
WE LOST TRACK OF IT A LITTLE BI IN THE '80s AND '90s
AS IT TRANSFORMED
INTO A FAST-FOOD EXPERIENCE,
BUT THE REAL, TRUE COFFEEHOUSES
NOW HAVE REDISCOVERED
THAT SENSE OF SPECIALNESS
AT THE SAME TIME
THAT THEY'VE REEMPHASIZED
THE SOCIAL EXPERIENCE.
-COFFEE, FOR THE MOST PART,
IT'S JUST SO HYPERLOCAL.
THEY'RE NEIGHBORHOOD
COFFEE BARS.
THE MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE
COMING THERE LIVE THERE.
THAT VERY LOCAL MARKE AND AUDIENCE,
THAT MAKES ALL OF THESE REGIONS
SO IMPRESSIVELY DIFFERENT.
I THINK THE CITIES DEFINE
THE COFFEE BARS IN LARGE PAR MORE THAN THE COFFEE BARS
SORT OF DEFINE THEIR NICHE
IN THE CITY.
-THEY KNOW
THE MINUTE THEY STEP IN,
THEY'RE IN A PLACE
OF HUMAN REFUGE FROM THEIR LIFE.
THAT PLACE WHERE CUSTOMERS
COME IN KIND OF IN BETWEEN WORK,
IN BETWEEN HOME, IN A PLACE
WHERE THEY CAN REALLY --
THEY CAN RELAX,
THEY CAN BE COMFORTABLE,
THEY CAN TREAT THEIR SENSES
TO WHATEVER NEED STATE
THEY HAVE,
WHETHER IT'S A CUP OF COFFEE,
WHETHER IT'S A PASTRY
OR A CUP OF TEA.
-THIS IS COMMUNITY, HONEY.
THIS IS LIKE GOING, LIKE I SAID,
TO YOUR GRANDMA'S HOUSE.
FULL OF LOVE.
THE KARMA, THE ATMOSPHERE.
I CONNECT PEOPLE TOGETHER.
I HAVE PEOPLE MET IN MY SHOP
AND THEY GET MARRIED.
WHEN I FIRST STARTED
PHILZ COFFEE,
THE PUBLIC WORKERS,
THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS,
THEY ARE
MY NUMBER-ONE CUSTOMERS.
THESE PEOPLE WANT ME
TO GO OPEN IN THEIR COMMUNITY,
ON THEIR BLOCK.
I TELL THEM
I CAN'T BE EVERYWHERE.
BUT [CHUCKLES] ONE DAY,
I'M GONNA MAKE A DEAL
WITH THE WATER DEPARTMENT,
HAVE IT COME THROUGH THE FAUCET.
-WHEN I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD,
I WALKED INTO THE FOOD GIAN WITH MY MOTHER OFTENTIMES
AND SMELLED THE COFFEE
IN THE BIG, RED GRINDER
THEY USED TO HAVE WHEN YOU GRIND
FOR THE CUSTOMER IN THE STORE.
AND I LOVED
THE FRAGRANCE SO MUCH,
AND WHEN I TRIED IT LATER
WHEN I WAS 19 IN THE AIR FORCE,
I WAS VERY ANGRY
THAT THE BEAUTIFUL COFFEE
HAD BEEN DESTROYED
DURING BREWING.
I SAID, "HOW CAN ANYTHING SMELL
SO GOOD AND TASTE SO BAD?"
SO, MY MISSION IS
TO RESEARCH AND DEVELOP
AND PREPARE CAF ESPRESSO
AS A CULINARY ART.
AND THE GOAL IS
TO MAKE A CUP OF COFFEE
THAT TASTES AS GOOD
AS THE FRAGRANCE
COMING OUT OF THE GRINDER
WHEN YOU GRIND FRESH BEANS.
THAT'S ONE OF THE MOST SUBLIME
THINGS ON THE EARTH.
-WE ALL HAVE THIS NOTION
IN OUR MIND
OF WHAT PERFECT COFFEE IS LIKE.
IT'S SWEET, IT'S BROWN,
IT'S SATISFYING.
YOU KNOW,
THERE'S SOMETHING RICH ABOUT IT.
BUT PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW
TO ARTICULATE THAT,
AND THROUGH GIVING CUPS
OF COFFEE TO PEOPLE
AND THEN TALKING ABOUT THEM,
PEOPLE CAN GET CLOSER
TO DESCRIBING AND UNDERSTANDING
WHAT MAKES GREAT COFFEE
TASTE GREAT TO THEM.
-EVERY TIME SOMEBODY TELLS ME
THE BEST OF CUP OF COFFEE
THEY EVER HAD,
IT'S ALWAYS A STORY ABOUT SE AND SETTING.
EVERY TIME SOMEONE SAYS,
"OH, GOD.
THE BEST COFFEE I EVER HAD,
I WAS WITH MY SWEETIE.
WE WERE ON THE ADRIATIC.
WE WERE FALLING IN LOVE.
AND THE WAITER CAME OUT,
AND HE WAS SO CUTE,
AND HE PUT DOWN THESE CUPS.
IT WAS HEAVEN!"
THAT'S BECAUSE THEY WERE READY
TO BE IN HEAVEN.
SO THE FLAVOR --
IT'S VERY SUBJECTIVE.
IT'S ALL BOUND UP
WITH THE HUMAN BEING
AND THE EXPERIENCE
THEY'RE HAVING AT THAT MOMENT.
-SPECIALTY COFFEE, FOR US,
IS THE COFFEE
THAT HAS VERY LOW LEVEL OF FATS,
HAS A PRONOUNCED AROMAS,
HAS SPECIFIC
AND QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS
THAT WE NEED IN ORDER TO OBTAIN
AND TO PRODUCE OUR BLEND.
-SO, THE AWARENESS
OF SPECIAL COFFEE BEING SPECIAL
IS GROWING IN COFFEE-PRODUCING
COUNTRIES AT THE SAME TIME
THAT IT'S GROWING
IN COFFEE-CONSUMING COUNTRIES.
THERE'S A NATURAL DESIRE
TO RECOGNIZE A COFFEE
THAT TASTES VERY GOOD
OR WAS PRODUCED IN A UNIQUE WAY
OR BY A UNIQUE PERSON.
THERE WAS THIS MOMEN THAT I WAS STANDING
BEHIND THE BAR OF A COFFEE SHOP,
AND WE WERE SERVING COFFEE
FROM SUMATRA.
AND I REALIZED
THAT I DIDN'T KNOW
REALLY WHERE SUMATRA WAS.
I KNEW IT WAS A PLACE,
BUT I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE IT WAS.
I KNEW -- YOU KNOW,
AND WE USED THE WORD "SUMATRA"
LIKE A FLAVOR, YOU KNOW,
LIKE VANILLA ICE CREAM
OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
"SUMATRA COFFEE"
WAS LIKE A FLAVOR WORD,
NOT NECESSARILY A PLACE WORD.
BUT IT KIND OF DAWNED ON ME
THAT IT WAS A PLACE
AND THERE WAS A FARM
IN THAT PLACE
THAT WAS WHERE THIS COFFEE
CAME FROM.
I MADE IT A LIFE GOAL
TO SORT OF SWIM UPSTREAM
AND FIND WHERE THAT WAS,
AND IT TOOK ME ABOUT 10 YEARS
TO VISIT THAT FARM IN SUMATRA
WHERE IT CAME FROM.
BUT I THINK THAT'S THE MOMEN THAT I BECAME
A PROFESSIONAL COFFEE PERSON.
ERNA KNUTSEN IS THE WOMAN
WHO IS GIVEN CREDI FOR BOTH KIND OF INVENTING
THE SPECIALTY COFFEE IDEA
AND INVENTED THE NAME
"SPECIALTY COFFEE."
SHE WAS A WOMAN WHO WORKED
AS A SECRETARY
FOR A COFFEE TRADING COMPANY
THAT WAS SELLING COFFEE
TO FOLGERS AND MJB
AND STUFF LIKE THAT IN THE '60s.
AND SHE WAS GETTING CALLS
FROM SMALL ROASTERS
THAT WANTED TO BUY JUS A LITTLE BIT OF COFFEE,
AND HER BOSSES DIDN'T REALLY
HAVE TIME FOR THOSE GUYS,
YOU KNOW?
THEY'RE ALL,
"THIS IS AN ANNOYANCE.
ERNA, WOULD YOU JUS KIND OF DEAL WITH THESE PEOPLE?"
SHE STARTED TO SELL THEM COFFEE
AND SAW THE POTENTIAL
IN THESE SMALL ROASTERS
THAT WANTED TO DO
BETTER QUALITY COFFEE.
YOU KNOW, THESE WERE THE
MICRO-ROASTERS OF THE 1960s.
-BECAUSE IN THE UNITED STATES
AT THAT TIME, IN 1966,
THERE WERE VERY, VERY FEW PLACES
THAT ACTUALLY HAD
QUALITY COFFEE.
IT WAS ALMOST ALL THE BIG
COMMERCIAL CANNED COFFEES,
AND THEY WERE REALLY IN A RACE
TO THE BOTTOM.
YOU KNOW, WHENEVER
YOU SEE SOMEONE ADVERTISING
THAT YOU CAN GET MORE CUPS
OUT OF THE GROUNDS
OR MORE CUPS PER CAN,
YOU KNOW THAT IT'S MOVING
IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.
SO WE REALLY HAD, YOU KNOW,
NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP.
-HARVEY, WANT ANYTHING SPECIAL
FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
-JUST A DECENT CUP OF COFFEE.
-YOU'RE KIDDING.
-I'M SERIOUS!
HONEY,
YOUR COFFEE IS UNDRINKABLE.
-I STILL SAY DON'T SERVE YOUR
AWFUL COFFEE WITH MY STEAKS.
-OH, MRS. OLSON, HE'S ALWAYS
CRABBING ABOUT MY COFFEE.
I COULD CRY!
-THERE WAS THE REALIZATION
THAT WE WERE JUST DRINKING
VERY INFERIOR COFFEE.
IT WASN'T A PLEASANT DRINK.
IT WAS A FUEL.
IT WENT FROM, YOU KNOW,
MOST OF THE COFFEE
BEING CONSUMED
IN RESTAURANTS AND DINERS
AND BY PEOPLE'S KITCHEN SINKS
AT HOME
TO ACTUALLY SPECIALTY COFFEE,
WHERE PEOPLE BOUGHT I BY THE CUP,
SPECIFICALLY FOR THE CUP.
-THE REAL EXPLOSION I THINK
OR THE REAL REVOLUTION
WAS WITH MR. PEET IN 1966,
WHEN HE HAD BEEN IN BERKELEY
FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS, AND...
HE WAS REALLY PRETTY SHOCKED
WITH THE QUALITY OF COFFEE,
AND IT WAS MORE OR LESS
TEPID WATER
IN THE LATE POST-WAR PERIOD.
THE REVOLUTION I THINK
IN '66 WAS ONE OF QUALITY.
-I HAD A LARGE CUP OF COFFEE
AND HAD A QUART OF MILK
AND I WAS ABOUT TO POUR MILK
INTO IT,
AND ALFRED CAME
AROUND THE CORNER
AND HE SLAPPED THE COFFEE
OUT OF --
THE COFFEE CUP OUT OF MY HAND.
IT WENT PERFECT SHO INTO THE TRASH.
HE SAID, "YOU WILL NOT PUT MILK
IN MY COFFEE.
YOU CAN'T TASTE THE COFFEE
THROUGH THE MILK,
AND HOW ARE YOU GOING TO LEARN
TO BE A GOOD ROASTER
WITHOUT BEING ABLE
TO TASTE THE COFFEE?"
SO FROM THAT DAY ON,
I'VE ONLY DRANK BLACK COFFEE.
-ONCE YOU'VE REALLY ENJOYED
A REALLY FULLY FLAVORED CUP
OF COFFEE,
REALLY WELL ROASTED,
REALLY FRESH,
IT'S REALLY DIFFICUL TO TURN BACK.
THERE'S NEVER BEEN A GREAT CUP
OF COFFEE --
A TRULY TRANSPORTING CUP
OF COFFEE --
WHERE YOU LOOKED AT IT AND SAID,
"WAIT, THAT WAS AMAZING,"
THAT WAS NOT FRESH.
NEVER IN HISTORY HAS THERE BEEN.
THERE'S BEEN OKAY ONES
AND "THAT WASN'T BAD"
AND "THAT WORKED"
AND "THAT WAS FINE FOR ME,"
BUT NOT THAT ONE WHERE YOU
STOPPED WHAT YOU WERE DOING,
LOOKED AT YOUR CUP,
AND SAID, "WOW.
I JUST HAD
A TRANSPORTING EXPERIENCE."
THAT COFFEE WAS FRESH,
I GUARANTEE YOU.
BECAUSE SO MANY THINGS THAT ARE
GREAT IN COFFEE ARE EVANESCENT.
THEY'RE VOLATILE
AND THEY'RE AROMATIC
AND THEY DISSIPATE
ALMOST INSTANTLY.
YOU KNOW,
AS SOON AS YOU BREW THEM,
YOU DRINK THEM IN,
YOU SMELL THEM,
YOU TASTE THEM
THROUGH YOUR OLFACTORY SENSE.
AND THEN IT'S GONE,
AND YOU CAN NEVER --
YOU CAN NEVER
GET THEM BACK AGAIN.
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
[ LAUGHTER ]
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
-WHEN IT'S HARVEST SEASON,
WE NEED EVERY HAND AVAILABLE,
AND A FAMILY'S WEALTH
FOR THE YEAR
DEPENDS ON WHAT THEY CAN HARVES DURING THAT BRIEF PERIOD
OF TIME.
SO EVERYBODY WHO'S AVAILABLE
TO WORK SHOULD WORK.
SO YOU'LL SEE FAMILIES RANGING
FROM THE GRANDMOTHERS,
THE PARENTS,
DOWN TO THE LITTLE KIDS.
AND SO YOU MAY HAVE
SIX PEOPLE IN ONE FAMILY
WORKING SO THAT ONE KID
CAN GO TO SCHOOL.
-[GENERAL CHATTER]
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-COFFEE UNIFORMLY COMES,
IT SEEMS,
FROM TRULY BEAUTIFUL PLACES --
REALLY REMOTE AND MOUNTAINOUS
PLACES,
AND ALSO, IF YOU THINK OF IT,
KIND OF THE PERFECT PLACE,
BECAUSE COFFEE ONLY COMES
FROM THE TROPICAL BAND
AROUND THE GLOBE.
BUT IDEALLY, I THINK,
IT ALSO GROWS IN A BAND
BETWEEN 4,000 AND 6,000 FEET.
AND IF YOU TRAVEL IN THE TROPICS
AND YOU GO TO THOSE ALTITUDES,
YOU RECOGNIZE QUICKLY
THAT IN THAT BAND, IT'S NOT HOT.
AT 6,000 FEET IN THE MOUNTAINS,
IT'S TEMPERATE, IT'S COOL,
AND THAT ALLOWS
FOR THE REALLY SLOW DEVELOPMEN OF COFFEE CHERRIES
SO THAT THEY GAIN MORE RIPENESS
OVER A LONGER PERIOD,
THEREFORE IMPARTING MORE FLAVOR
TO THE BEANS.
-COFFEE IS A FRUIT,
AND IT'S A STONE FRUI VERY SIMILAR TO CHERRIES
OR PEACHES OR APRICOTS.
IT'S GOT A LOT OF THOSE
SAME ORGANIC COMPOUNDS.
AND LIKE ANY OTHER FRUI OR FRUIT JUICE THAT WE DRINK,
WE WANT THE COFFEE TO BE SWEET,
BECAUSE THAT'S THE PRODUC OF RIPENESS.
-A COFFEE FRUIT --
IT GROWS ON A SHRUB
THAT'S NATIVE TO ETHIOPIA,
EAST AFRICA,
IN THE TROPICS OF EACH AFRICA,
IN THE COOL MOUNTAINS.
THERE ARE TWO MAIN SPECIES
OF COFFEE
THAT WE GROW TO CONSUME,
AND THOSE ARE COFFEA ARABICA,
WHICH WE CALL ARABICA,
AND COFFEA CANEPHORA,
WHICH WE CALL ROBUSTA.
AND THOSE ARE TWO SPECIES.
THEY CAME
FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF AFRICA.
IN GENERAL, ARABICA IS THOUGH TO BE FINER,
MORE SPECIAL THAN ROBUSTA IS.
-THIS IS
A TYPICAL ROBUSTA PLANT,
AND USUALLY IT'S A MORE --
IT'S CALLED ROBUSTA
BECAUSE IT'S MORE ROBUST.
AND THE PLANT CAN GROW
UP TO 9, 10 FEET,
ALMOST LIKE A TREE.
-THE ROBUSTA WILL HAVE LESS
THAN HALF OF THE AROMATIC OILS
THAT ARE IN AN ARABICA BEAN.
SO, IT WILL HAVE
NOT MANY AROMAS.
BUT IT WILL HAVE MORE CAFFEINE
THAN THE ARABICA BEAN
AND IT HAS MORE SUGARS.
-THE USE OF SINGLE-ORIGIN COFFEE
IS A REALLY OBVIOUS NEXT STEP
IN THE PROGRESSION OF THE WAY
THAT WE LEARN ABOUT COFFEE,
AND WHEN YOU'RE USING
A MIXTURE OF COFFEES,
IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICUL TO ISOLATE THINGS
THAN IF YOU USE
INDIVIDUAL COFFEE.
AND THAT BRINGS YOU TO CHOOSING
AN INDIVIDUAL COFFEE.
WE START TO GE INTO WHAT WE CALL MICRO-LOT,
RIGHT, AND SMALLER
AND SMALLER SOURCING.
AND WE GET TO HAVE CONTAC WITH INDIVIDUAL PRODUCERS,
AND WE GET TO LEARN
ABOUT INDIVIDUAL VARIETALS,
AND WE GET TO LEARN
ABOUT EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN
IN THE DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT,
LIKE, SLOPE ANGLE,
AND SUN EXPOSURE,
AND IRRIGATION,
AND THAT'S JUST THE PLANT.
THE WAY THAT THE CHERRIES
AND THE SEEDS
ARE HANDLED AFTER THA REPRESENT A WHOLE OTHER SUBSE OF VARIABLES
THAT AFFECT THE WAY WE BREW.
SO, SINGLE ORIGIN MIGHT BE
A GIGANTIC BUZZWORD,
BUT AT THE HEART OF I IS THE SAME CONCEP AS THE WHOLE RES OF OUR TECHNIQUES,
WHICH IS THE REDUCTION
OF VARIABLES
IN THE EFFORT TO DEMYSTIFY
AND TO BETTER UNDERSTAND
WHAT WE'RE WORKING WITH
SO THAT WE CAN PRESENT I IN A CLEAR WAY.
-WE TRADITIONALLY SELL COFFEE
BY ITS ORIGIN COUNTRY'S NAME,
SO PEOPLE WILL NATURALLY,
WHEN THEY START DRINKING
GUATEMALAN COFFEE,
BE INTERESTED
IN WHAT GUATEMALA IS,
AND THEY'RE MORE INCLINED
TO BE CURIOUS
ABOUT THINGS LIKE
THE ENVIRONMENT IN GUATEMALA,
LIKE SOCIAL CONDITIONS
IN GUATEMALA,
AND LIKE LABOR CONDITIONS
IN GUATEMALA.
[ CHILDREN SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-THEY SAY THAT COFFEE GETS
IN YOUR BLOOD,
AND ONCE YOU'RE IN COFFEE,
YOU CAN'T LEAVE.
AND I THINK
THAT TENDS TO BE TRUE.
IT'S NOT BECAUSE IT'S SPREADING
SOME KIND OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
IN YOUR BLOOD STREAM.
IT'S BECAUSE IT'S JUS THAT INSPIRING.
THERE'S JUST SO MANY PLACES
TO FIND.
THERE'S SO MANY WAYS TO INDULGE
EVERY CURIOSITY YOU HAVE
AND APPLY WHATEVER SOR OF SCIENTIFIC
OR ARTISTIC FOCUS
THAT YOU HAVE.
WHEN I WAS IN GUATEMALA,
I HAVE A FRIEND THERE
WHO HAS BECOME A FRIEND NOW.
AT THE TIME,
HE WAS JUST A COFFEE FARMER
I WAS GOING TO MEET.
AND TO GET TO HIS FARM
WAS A VERY LONG TRIP.
IT'S ABOUT 10 HOURS IN A CAR,
A LOT OF IT OVER ROADS
THAT ARE NOT VERY GOOD.
AND WE'D GONE THERE
BECAUSE WE'D TASTED THIS COFFEE
AT AN EXPORTER'S OFFICE
IN THE CITY,
AND IT WAS SO GOOD
THAT WE DECIDED WE HAD TO GO SEE
WHERE IT CAME FROM.
EVERY FARM KIND OF LOOKS
A LITTLE BIT THE SAME
IN SOME WAYS,
AND IN RETROSPECT,
I CAN SEE THA THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT THE CASE.
NO TWO FARMS ARE IDENTICAL
AND THERE ARE SO MANY
SMALL THINGS YOU CAN SEE
JUST BY BEING ON A FARM
THAT GIVES YOU AN INDICATION
ABOUT WHA THE QUALITY POTENTIAL CAN BE.
AT THE MOMENT WHEN WE ARRIVED
ON THE FARM,
THE FARMER CAME WALKING OU WITH HIS FAMILY.
AND THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED.
I WAS AFFECTED BY IT.
THERE WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS
SO ATTRACTIVE ABOUT THE FARM,
AND I STILL LOOK BACK
AND TRY TO FIGURE OU WHAT IT WAS AT THAT TIME
THAT MADE ME SO EXCITED.
BUT I FEEL
THAT IT WAS A COMBINATION
OF THE ENERGY
OF THE FARMER HIMSELF.
THERE WAS SO MUCH WARMTH
IN THE WAY HE TALKED
ABOUT HIS COFFEE FARM.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME
THAT I GOT THE FEELING
THAT EVERYTHING
WAS JUST MEANT TO BE.
I WAS IN THE RIGHT PLACE
AT THE RIGHT TIME
WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE.
THAT BECAME OUR FIRS DIRECT-TRADE RELATIONSHIP.
OUR FIRST FARM
AND OUR FIRST FARMER
WHERE WE REALLY SAT DOWN
AND SAID, "OKAY.
WE CAN REALLY HELP EACH OTHER."
-EVERY COFFEE HAS A SEASON.
MOST COFFEES
ARE PICKED ONLY ONCE A YEAR
AND THAT COULD BE,
SINCE IT'S THE TROPICS,
ANY TIME AROUND THE YEAR.
SOME COFFEES ARE GREAT IN FALL
AND HAVE A HARVEST IN FALL,
AND SOME IN WINTER,
SOME IN SPRING.
AND, SO, YOU REALLY
HAVE TO KNOW THE COFFEE
TO KNOW WHEN IT'S REALLY
AT ITS VERY BEST.
-SO THE FIRST THING
THAT HAPPENS DURING HARVEST TIME
IS THAT THE COFFEE CHERRIES NEED
TO BE SELECTIVELY PICKED.
WE'VE GOT PICKERS OU THAT ARE USING A COMBINATION
OF SIGHT AND ALSO TOUCH
TO IDENTIFY THE CHERRIES
THAT ARE IN THE PERFECT STAGE
OF RIPENESS.
WHEN WE SAY
"SELECTIVELY PICKING,"
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
ONCE THE COFFEES
HAVE BEEN PICKED,
THE NEXT STEP IN THE PROCESS
IS GENERALLY SORTING
SO THAT THE CHERRIES
THAT HAVE BEEN PICKED,
RARELY WILL THEY BE PICKED
PERFECTLY ON THE FIRST TIME.
THERE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE
A FEW SLIGHTLY OVERRIPE
OR UNDER-RIPE CHERRIES
PICKED ALONGSIDE THE GOOD ONES.
THOSE ARE SORTED BY HAND
AND REMOVED NORMALLY
BY THE PICKERS.
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
HERE YOU HAVE AN EXAMPLE
OF EVERY KIND
OF COFFEE YOU COULD PICK,
EXCEPT FOR COMPLETELY GREEN.
THESE KIND RIGHT HERE --
THIS IS CALLED AN OVER-FERMENTED
OR SOBRE MORURU.
AND THIS WILL GIVE THE CUP KIND
OF A WINE-Y TASTE.
IT'S NOT NECESSARILY PLEASANT.
YOU DON'T WANT THIS
IN YOUR COFFEE.
IT'S KIND OF GOT A ROTTING FRUI OR DECOMPOSING FRUIT TASTE.
-HERE WE ARE AT LA SOLEDAD
AND THIS FARM HAS BEEN
IN THE PEREZ FAMILY
FOR ALMOST 100 YEARS.
MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER
STARTED PLANTING COFFEE HERE
AS AN ADVENTURE.
THEN HE INHERITED THIS
ON MY GRANDFATHER,
AND HE PASSED THAT INHERI TO MY FATHER.
MY FATHER TAUGHT ME
DURING 20 YEARS
THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING HERE.
ONE OF THAT THINGS THAT I THINK
IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTAN IS THE LOVE FOR THIS LAND.
THE WAY HE TAUGHT ME THAT,
IT WAS VERY, VERY SIMPLE.
HE TAUGHT ME HOW TO WORK IT.
HE TAUGHT ME HOW
TO WORK THE MILL,
HOW TO WORK THE COFFEE TREES,
HOW TO PICK COFFEE.
I THINK THAT'S THE WAY THE LOVE
FOR THIS PRODUCT GREW INTO ME,
BECAUSE I FEEL PAR OF EVERY STEP OF THE PROCESS.
HERE THERE IS THE WET-MILL
PROCESS OF THE COFFEE.
FIRST, THE PICKERS GO
TO DIFFERENT AREAS
OF THE FARM
AND PICK RED CHERRIES.
THEN THEY COME HERE
TO THESE FACILITIES
AND THEY WEIGHT THEIR COFFEE,
BECAUSE WE PAY BY THE WEIGHT.
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
-THE FIRST STEP
IN MECHANICAL WET MILLING
IS THE REMOVAL OF THE SKIN.
SO, THE CHERRIES GET PU INTO A DE-PULPING MACHINE,
WHICH SQUEEZES THEM GENTLY
OR APPLIES SOME KIND OF PRESSURE
TO GET THE SKIN
OFF OF THE CHERRY.
ONCE THE SKIN IS REMOVED,
THE COFFEE IS THEN EITHER PU THROUGH A MECHANICAL
DEMUCILAGING MACHINE,
WHICH IS BASICALLY JUS A BIG SCRUBBER
THAT GENTLY SCRUBS THE COFFEE
AND REMOVES THE STICKY HONEY
THAT'S COATING THE OUTSIDE
OF THE BEAN.
-AFTER THAT,
WE PUT THAT AGAIN INTO A WATER
IN A MACHINE CALLED
[SPEAKS SPANISH]
WHERE WE SEPARATE I AGAIN BY DENSITY.
THEY'RE SEEDS NOW.
AND THEN WE LE A DRY FERMENTATION
FOR 27 TO 32 HOURS.
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-AND THEN WE DO
ANOTHER SEPARATION THERE
BY DENSITY AGAIN,
AND THEN WE DRY THE COFFEE.
[ RUSTLING ]
-WE IN INDIA,
WE FOLLOW SUN DRYING
RATHER THAN ANY OTHER KIND
OF MECHANICAL DRYING.
SUN DRYING IS THE BES AND IT GIVES OU THE BEST FLAVORS IN COFFEE.
DRYING SHOULD BE SUCH
THAT BY THE TIME
AFTER SIXTH OR SEVENTH DAY,
DEPENDING ON THE KIND
OF SUN WE HAVE,
THE BEAN SHOULD HAVE NOT MORE
THAN 11.5% OF MOISTURE IN THIS.
IT SHOULD BE ALWAYS DRIED
IN 1 1/2 INCHES THICKNESS
SO THAT PROPER AERATION
BETWEEN THE BEANS IS THERE.
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
[ ROOSTER CROWS ]
-THE GOOD, GOOD COFFEE
THAT HAS A HIGH GRADE
GETS EXPORTED TO THE U.S.
AND TO EUROPE,
AND ALL THE BAD COFFEE,
THE STUFF THAT JUST DIDN'T PASS,
JUST DIDN'T MAKE IT --
WHATEVER IT IS --
STAYS IN GUATEMALA.
SO YOU'RE IN GUATEMALA
AND YOU CAN'T HAVE
A GREAT CUP OF COFFEE.
[ Laughing ] LIKE...
YOU'RE LIKE,
"HEY, WE GROW THIS STUFF, MAN."
BECAUSE EVERYTHING
IS GETTING EXPORTED.
BUT IT'S A WAY OF SURVIVAL.
-WE WANT TO TRY TO CHANGE
THAT HERE IN GUATEMALA
BY KEEPING VERY GOOD COFFEES
ROASTED THE WAY IT SHOULD BE
AND TRY TO TEACH THE PEOPLE
THAT WE ARE PRODUCING
THE BEST QUALITY COFFEE HERE
AS IN THE WORLD,
AND WE SHOULD DRINK THAT, TOO.
AND TRYING TO CHANGE THA HAS BEEN HARD,
BUT I THINK A LOT OF CHANGE
HAS BEEN DONE
IN THE PAST TWO YEARS.
-AFTER COFFEE IS DRIED,
IT HAS COATING ON THE OUTSIDE.
WE CALL IT PARCHMENT.
AND I ALWAYS THINK IT REMINDS ME
OF SORT OF LIKE A PEANUT.
YOU KNOW HOW THERE'S
THAT PAPERY SHELL
ON A PEANU WITH THE SEED INSIDE?
THAT'S WHAT COFFEE IS LIKE.
THE MILLING PROCESS
IS THE PROCESS OF GETTING
THAT SHELL OFF.
TO DO THAT, IT GOES THROUGH
A MACHINE THAT RUBS IT TOGETHER
TO BREAK THAT SHELL
AND ESSENTIALLY BLOW IT AWAY.
SO, WHAT YOU GET OUT OF THE MILL
IS THE SMALL GREEN SEEDS
OF THE COFFEE PLAN THAT ARE READY TO BE EXPORTED.
-SO, ONCE THE COFFEE DOES ARRIVE
AT ONE OF OUR ROASTING PLANTS,
WE TASTE IT AGAIN
AFTER THAT LONG JOURNEY
FROM PRODUCING COUNTRY INTO
ONE OF OUR ROASTING PLANTS AGAIN
TO MAKE SURE THAT THE QUALITY
IS MAINTAINING ITSELF
FROM THE TIME OF EXPOR TO THE TIME OF IMPORT.
-ROASTING COFFEE IS ALL ABOU MANAGING HEAT TRANSFER.
THE WAY YOU APPLY HEA TO THE COFFEE
AND THE WAY
THE BEANS ABSORB THE HEA IS WHAT MAKES THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN A SUCCESSFUL ROAS OR AN UNSUCCESSFUL ONE.
AND, REALLY, THE WAY
THAT THE HEAT IS ABSORBED
IS ALSO CRITICAL IN INFLUENCING
AND DIRECTING THE WAY
CHEMICAL CHANGES HAPPEN.
THERE'S A LO OF CHEMICAL PRECURSORS IN COFFEE
THAT LEAD TO OTHER FLAVORS
ONCE THEY'VE BEEN TRANSFORMED
AND DEVELOPED
IN THE ROASTING PROCESS.
AND IT'S A COMPLEX PROCESS.
THERE'S SO MANY DIFFEREN CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS IN COFFEE
THAT CONTRIBUTE TO FLAVOR
AND TO AROMA.
AND HOW YOU UNLOCK THEM
AND HOW YOU PRESENT THEM
IS ONE OF THE GREAT PIECES
OF MAGIC AND SCIENCE
OF COFFEE ROASTING.
-SO, THIS IS
A SUPER-HARD COSTA RICA.
GOOD COFFEE IN A FRENCH ROAST.
THEN YOU GET INTO THE COFFEES
LIKE ETHIOPIANS.
YOU DON'T WANT TO BURN
THOSE BEAUTIFUL FLAVORS
OUT OF THE COFFEE.
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
-I'M PUTTING THE BEANS
IN THE HOPPER.
THE BEANS ARE GREEN
BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN A LO OF WATER.
I WANT THAT WATER OUT.
EVERY BEAN
HAS DIFFERENT DENSITY.
THE DENSITY DETERMINES TO ME
WHAT TEMPERATURE I SHOULD ROAST.
I CANNOT TAKE A LIGHT BEAN,
THAT MEANS LIGHT DENSITY,
AND PUT I VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE.
I WILL DO VERY FAST.
I WILL BRING THAT ACIDITY
OUT OF THE BEAN,
AND I WILL RUIN THE TASTE
OF THAT BEAN.
-A LITTLE BIT LONGER
TO FIRST POP.
IT'S KIND OF STARTING NOW.
YOU'LL HEAR IT START TO CRACK.
FIRST POP OR FIRST CRACK.
THAT CONTROLS THE AIR PRESSURE.
COFFEE WILL GO THROUGH A COUPLE
OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS
IN THE PROCESS OF ROASTING
IN WHICH MOISTURE IS RELEASED,
AND WHEN THAT HAPPENS,
YOU'LL ACTUALLY HEAR
A POPPING SOUND
VERY SIMILAR TO POPCORN POPPING
IN YOUR MICROWAVE
OR YOUR POPCORN POPPER.
IAN IS ROASTING THE COFFEE
USING HIS SENSES --
HIS SENSE OF SMELL,
USING EYES TO TRACK COLOR,
AND MAKING MOVEMENTS IN TERMS
OF APPLYING GAS PRESSURE
TO THE COFFEE AS IT'S ROASTING.
AS IT PROGRESSES
TOWARDS THE END,
THIS SPEED OF WHICH THE ROAS COMES INTO THE COFFEE
ACCELERATES GREATLY
TO THE POINT WHERE THE CALL --
IT'S JUST ON THE SECOND.
SO ONE OR TWO SECONDS EITHER WAY
CAN THROW OFF THE PROFILE.
-I'M LISTENING TO IT.
I'M LISTENING TO THE...
ACCELERATION OF THE ROAST.
I'M SMELLING IT.
NOW, IT'S GOING
INTO SECOND CRACK.
-THE COFFEE IS NICE AND PUFFY --
VERY NICE.
IT'S LIKE I'M GIVING
MY FINAL TOUCH IN A PAINTING.
SO I WAIT A LITTLE BIT MORE
TO GET THE CERTAIN COLOR
THAT I WANT.
-THE COFFEE JUST NOW
THAT EXITED THE ROASTER
IS APPROXIMATELY 430 DEGREES --
THE BEANS THEMSELVES.
THEY'RE INSTANTLY DROPPED
INTO THE COOLING TRAY
AND AIR IS INDUCTED THROUGH
A FAN THAT WE HAVE ON THE ROOF
AND QUICKLY COOLS THE COFFEE
FROM THAT 430 DEGREES
TO ROOM TEMPERATURE
WITHIN MINUTES.
IT LITERALLY HALTS
THE ROASTING PROCESS.
WHAT WE DON'T WANT TO DO
IS HAVE THE COFFEE COOL SLOWLY
BECAUSE OF THE AFFECT THA THAT HAS,
THE COFFEE WILL CONTINUE
TO COOK.
THIS IS AN ESPRESSO ROAST,
SO WHAT IAN IS LOOKING FOR,
IN TERMS OF COLOR-WISE
IN THE ROAST,
IS HE WANTS TO SEE JUS THAT PARTICULAR LEVEL OF SHEEN
JUST PRIOR
TO THE OILS COMING OU TO THE SURFACE OF THE COFFEE.
-WHEN I USED TO ROAST,
I USED TO BURN.
I'D FORGET --
I USED TO TOUCH THE DRUM,
I USED TO BURN MY HAND AND CRY.
MY DAD USED TO SAY,
"LET ME SEE. LET ME SEE."
I WOULD SHOW HIM THE BURN.
HE SAYS, "OH, THIS IS GOOD.
NOW THE SECRET WEN IN YOUR BLOOD
AND YOU WILL NOT FORGET."
IT USED TO MAKE ME SO HAPPY
THAT I GOT THE SECRET, YOU KNOW?
[ ITALIAN MUSIC PLAYS ]
-ESPRESSO IS LIKE
THE COMMUNAL BEVERAGE,
AND THIS IS SOMETHING
I THINK THAT IS RIGH ABOUT ITALIAN COFFEE CULTURE,
IS YOU WALK UP
TO THE COFFEE BAR,
YOU GO TO THE SAME ONE
EVERY DAY,
YOU SEE ALL THE SAME PEOPLE
YOU SEE EVERY DAY,
YOU KIND OF CONNEC WITH YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
FOR JUST A MOMEN BEFORE YOU GO ON
TO WHATEVER IS THE IMPORTAN THING YOU HAVE TO DO NEXT,
AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE
A COMING TOGETHER OF PEOPLE.
IT'S LIKE THIS SORT OF
THROBBING MASS, YOU KNOW?
IT'S LIKE PEOPLE ARE COMING IN
AND OUT.
THE PERFECT SHOT OF ESPRESSO
HAS TO BE HAD IN A COFFEE BAR.
-ONE OF THE MAJOR JOBS
OF THE PRODUCER
IS TO CREATE
A MACHINE VERY FLEXIBLE --
MEANS ABLE TO ADAP TO THE NEEDS OF EACH BARISTA
AND IS CONSISTEN AT THE SAME TIME.
SO, ONCE A BARISTA'S
FOUND HIS PROFILE,
PRETEND THAT THAT PROFILE
CAN BE THE SAME FOR ALL DAY,
ALL THE WEEK, ALL THE MONTH.
THIS IS A BIG CHALLENGE
BECAUSE THE CONDITION --
EXCELLENT CONDITION --
CHANGES CONTINUOUSLY,
AND THE MACHINE CAN BE STABLE.
'CAUSE SPECIALTY REQUIRES
GOOD-SKILLED BARISTA,
ABLE TO MAKE
A VERY HIGH QUALITY ESPRESSO.
THIS CAN BE DONE JUS WITH A TRADITIONAL MACHINE.
-[ SPEAKING ITALIAN ]
-AT THE TIME,
IT WAS KIND OF A NEW
PRODUCT FOR MANY AMERICANS.
IT WAS MORE ABOUT AN AMERICAN
MODEL OF AN ITALIAN STYLE DRINK,
AND I THINK WHAT'S HAPPENED
SINCE THEN
AND OVER THE LAST DECADE
FOR SURE
IS THAT AMERICA HAS
KIND OF FOUND ITS OWN
POINT OF VIEW WITH THE PRODUCT.
AND, SO, WE DEFINITELY,
YOU KNOW,
TOOK OUR ORIGINAL INSPIRATION
FROM THE ITALIAN MODEL,
BUT NOW PEOPLE HAVE BEEN ABLE
TO EXPERIMENT THA AND DEFINE IT IN THEIR OWN WAY.
AND SO WHAT YOU'RE SEEING
IS THIS NEW WAVE OF INNOVATION,
NEW STYLES OF BEVERAGES,
MORE ATTENTION
TO THE COFFEE PAR OF THE PRODUCT.
THAT'S REALLY EXCITING.
[ WHIRRING ]
-COFFEE BEANS REPRESENT NOT MORE
THAN 50% OF THE FINAL RESULT.
50% IS GIVEN BY THE BEANS,
BY THE QUALITY, BY THE MIXING,
BY THE ROASTING, BY ALL
THE OTHER TECHNICAL THINGS.
BUT THE OTHER 50% IS GIVEN
BY THE TOOLS, THE EQUIPMENT,
THE MACHINE, THE GRINDERS,
AND THE HAND OF THE BARISTA.
-FROM KENYA -- VERY CLOSE TO IT.
HERE WE GO.
-ONE OF THE MOST JOYFUL PARTS
AND BEAUTIFUL PARTS
OF MY COFFEE CAREER
WAS WHEN I WAS LEARNING
ABOUT WHAT MADE COFFEE
TASTE BETTER.
THAT OPENED MY EYES
TO TECHNIQUE.
WE WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE --
BARISTAS OR CONSUMERS --
ACCESS TO THAT SAME SENSE
OF DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION.
-BUT WHAT'S REALLY
KIND OF REFRESHING IN A WAY
IS THAT I REALLY FEEL LIKE
THE ENTIRE SPECIALTY INDUSTRY
IS HEADED BACK TOWARDS
SIMPLICITY AND EDUCATION.
SO, INSTEAD OF TRYING
TO AUTOMATE THE PROCESS
TO WHERE THE USER OR THE BARISTA
HAS TO JUST PUSH A BUTTON,
NOW WE'RE INVESTING MORE IN
THE SKILLS OF THE ACTUAL PERSON,
WHICH IS
A MUCH MORE SUSTAINABLE MODEL --
WHEN YOU GIVE SOMEONE SKILLS
THAT THEY HAVE
FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE
AND THAT THEY CAN EDUCATE OTHERS
INSTEAD OF TRYING
TO AUTOMATE EVERYTHING
INTO QUICK SERVICE.
-I WOULD DEFINITELY LIKE
TO OPEN UP
MY OWN COFFEEHOUSE AT ONE POINT.
I THINK ANY BARISTA
THAT'S BEEN DOING THIS
FOR ANY AMOUNT OF TIME
WILL SAY THE SAME THING.
-IT'S ALMOST A THEATER.
IT'S A COFFEE THEATER.
YOU'RE TAKING, YOU KNOW,
THIS ANCIENT DRINK
AND PRESENTING IT TO THEM
IN A NEW WAY.
WHEN THEY TAKE A SIP
OF THAT COFFEE
AND IT BLOWS THEM AWAY,
THAT'S THE EXCITING PAR OF THE BUSINESS.
-THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT SKILLS
FOR A BARISTA HAVE NOTHING TO DO
WITH HOW YOU CAN HOLD
A PORTA FILTER
AND POUR AWESOME LATTE ARTS.
YOU HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO TASTE.
YOU MUST, BECAUSE TASTE IS
THE ONLY SORT OF GOALPOS THAT SHOWS YOU
HOW YOUR TECHNIQUE
IS INFLUENCING THE COFFEE.
AND YOU HAVE TO BE, YOU KNOW,
A RIGOROUS HOSPITALITARIAN --
IS A WORD I MADE UP.
BUT YOU HAVE
TO ACTUALLY CONSIDER THA TO BE VIRTUOUS AND INTERESTING.
YOU HAVE TO WAN TO SERVE PEOPLE.
-WHEN I HAVE A CUSTOMER
COME UP TO ME,
THERE'S NOTHING BETTER
THAN THE QUESTION OF,
"WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK
I SHOULD GET?"
I JUST GO, "YES!"
YOU KNOW?
BECAUSE IT'S THAT MOMENT.
IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW,
A HANDFUL OF MOMENTS
WHERE WE GET THAT OPPORTUNITY
TO REALLY GO,
"I KNOW EXACTLY THIS THING
THAT YOU'RE GONNA TRY.
LET'S TASTE IT TOGETHER,"
YOU KNOW?
I THINK THAT'S WHA BRIDGES THE GAP --
THE KIND OF INTERACTION
AND THE KIND OF PERSONALITY
THAT YOU HAVE AS A BARISTA,
OF JUST REALLY CARING,
NOT ONLY ABOUT THE PRODUCT,
BUT ALSO ABOUT THE CUSTOMER
THAT'S STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU.
-A HUGE THING IN THE EARLY 2000s
WHEN WE STARTED TO WORK
WITH COFFEE FARMS --
THE THING THAT WE HAD TO DO
WAS LEARN
TO SPEAK THE SAME LANGUAGE,
AND I'M NOT TALKING ABOU SPOKEN LANGUAGE.
I'M TALKING ABOU FLAVOR LANGUAGE.
THAT'S WHY CUPPING
IS SO IMPORTAN AND HAS SUCH AN IMPORTANT PLACE
IN GREAT COFFEE.
I INTERACTED WITH ALL SORTS
OF COFFEE FARMERS
THAT DIDN'T LOVE COFFEE
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T DRINK COFFEE
BECAUSE THEIR CULTURE
WASN'T TO DRINK COFFEE.
OVER THE YEARS, WE'VE DONE LOTS
OF STRATEGIES TO GET FARMERS
TO DRINK THEIR OWN COFFEE,
OR AT LEAST TASTE IT.
-I HAVE TO IDENTIFY SWEETNESS
WITHOUT LOOKING
AT THE BITTERNESS,
WHICH IS QUITE DIFFICULT.
I HAVE THE COLLOIDS
IN SUSPENSION.
I HAVE MY SUGARS.
I HAVE THE PROTEINS.
I HAVE SO MANY, YOU KNOW,
DIFFERENT COMPOUNDS
THROUGH, LITERALLY, LIKE A MAZE,
AND I HAVE TO WEAVE MY WAY
IN AND OUT OF THAT MAZE
TO BE ABLE TO COME
TO ONE CONCLUSION --
WHETHER THE COFFEE IS
OF AVERAGE OR SPECIALTY GRADE,
OR WHETHER IT IS
OF COMMERCIAL VALUE.
I'VE BEEN IN COFFEE
FOR ALMOST 38 YEARS.
AND MY MAIN FOCUS OF WORK WAS
TO TASTE COFFEES,
EVALUATE COFFEES,
RATE THE COFFEES
IN TERMS OF THE QUALITY NORMS,
GO BACK TO THE FARMER
AND TELL THEM WHAT, YOU KNOW --
WHETHER HE IS DOING
THE PROCESSING RIGH OR WHAT'S RIGH ABOUT HIS COFFEE,
WHAT'S WRONG ABOUT HIS COFFEE.
AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG,
WHY IS IT WRONG?
WHAT ARE THE CORRECTIVE FACTORS?
WHAT STEPS DOES HE NEED TO TAKE
TO UPGRADE THE COFFEE?
BASICALLY, ALL THIS IS DONE
THROUGH THE PALATE.
-CUPPING, IT'S ONE
OF THE COFFEE TECHNIQUES
THAT ARE USED BY CUPPERS TO...
EVALUATE AROMA
AND FLAVOR PROFILE OF COFFEE.
IT OPENS YOUR EYES TO
A WIDE RANGE OF POSSIBILITIES,
TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT SPECIALTY COFFEE IS ABOU AND WHAT'S SO SPECIAL
ABOUT THE COFFEE
AND, ALSO,
IT GIVES YOU AN OPPORTUNITY
TO UNDERSTAND FLAVORS
AND NUANCES --
SOMETHING YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW
EXISTED IN THE COFFEE.
THE FIRST ONE, YOU EVALUATE
FRAGRANCE AND AROMA.
FRAGRANCE WOULD REFER
TO THE DRIED COFFEE GROUNDS,
SO YOU EVALUATE THESE FIRST.
-WHEN WE BREW THE LIQUID,
WHEN YOU POUR WATER,
THERE'S AN AROMATICS
THAT COME OUT,
THE VOLATILES COME OUT,
AND THAT'S CALLED THE AROMA.
SO I SMELL THE COFFEE,
AND WE BREW I FOR ABOUT FOUR MINUTES
AND THEN WE TASTE.
WE BREAK THE CRUS AND THEN WE TASTE.
AND WHEN I TASTE, I'M LOOKING
AT THE APTITUDE OF STRENGTH,
THE MOUTH FEEL, THE VISCOSITY
OF THE LIQUID ON MY PALATE.
-[ SLURPS ]
-WHEN YOU SLURP THE COFFEE,
THE LIQUID THAT YOU'RE SLURPING
GOES ALL OVER YOUR MOUTH,
SO YOU CAN BASICALLY --
EASIER TO IDENTIFY
AND TASTE THE FLAVORS
AND HOW YOU PERCEIVE
THE AROMATIC FLAVORS
AND PERCEIVE THE ACIDITY
AND THE BODY OF THE COFFEE.
-WE LOOK AT THE FLAVOR
TO SEE WHAT IS THE FLAVOR.
IS IT FLORAL?
IS IT FLAVOR OF CARAMEL,
CHOCOLATE?
HAS IT GOT A LITTLE BI OF APRICOT OR PLUMS OR BANANAS?
WE LOOK AT THE BRIGHTNESS
OR THE TANGINESS OF THE ACIDITY,
AND THAT'S
AN IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTE.
-[ SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY ]
-THIS SHAPE IS VERY IMPORTAN BECAUSE YOU SMELL BETTER.
IT'S LIKE -- LIKE THE GLASS
WITH WINE TASTING,
AND THIS WILL KEEP THE SMELL
OF THE COFFEE
AND THE POWERFULNESS
OF THE COFFEE.
SO, YOU WILL DETECT IT BETTER.
WE ARE PUTTING IN ONE CUP --
WE'LL PUT SUGAR.
IN THE OTHER CUP,
WE'LL LEAVE IT WITHOUT SUGAR.
SO, EDDIE WILL NOW SHOW US
HOW WE DO
THE PROPER CUP TASTING.
FIRST, HE WILL SMELL.
-[ SLURPS ]
-HE WILL TASTE THE BITTER CUP
WITHOUT SUGAR.
THEN WE'LL CUP-TASTE
THE COFFEE --
THE CUPS WITH SUGAR.
-[ SLURPS ]
-[ SLURPS ]
THIS IS AN EXCEPTIONAL COFFEE.
HAS, I WOULD SAY A MEDIUM BODY,
BUT HAS A VERY STRONG
FLORAL AROMA,
CITRUS-LIKE FLAVORS,
AND MARMALADE --
ORANGE MARMALADE.
-[ SLURPS ]
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-THE CUP OF EXCELLENCE
IS A PRODUCING COUNTRIES'
COMPETITION
TO FIND THE BEST COFFEES OF
THAT PARTICULAR HARVEST SEASON.
-[ SLURPS ]
DURING THE COMPETITION,
SOMETHING LIKE 100 PLUS CUPS
ARE SAMPLED THROUGHOUT THE LO AND PREPARED AND EVALUATED
BY UPWARDS
OF 20 PEOPLE PER SESSION.
I DON'T KNOW OF ANY OTHER COFFEE
THAT GOES THROUGH
THAT DEGREE OF SELECTION
IN ORDER TO GET THESE AWARDS.
[ SLURPING ]
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
[ SLURPING ]
-IN THE UNITED STATES,
WHEN A FARMER TAKES OUT A LOAN,
THEY CAN USE THEIR CROP
AS COLLATERAL FOR THE LOAN
BECAUSE THEY'RE PRETTY SURE
THAT IT'S GONNA BE --
YOU KNOW,
AT THE END OF THE SEASON,
THEY'RE GONNA HAVE A WHEAT CROP
OR WHATEVER IT HAPPENS TO BE.
HERE IN CENTRAL AMERICA,
THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO DO THAT.
THEY PUT UP THEIR LAND.
THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO MORTGAGE
THEIR LAND FOR THE LOAN
BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW
WHAT THE PRICE OF COFFEE
IS GONNA BE
AT THE END OF THE SEASON.
IT'S JUST NOT THAT PREDICTABLE.
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-IN THE BEGINNING,
WHEN IT WAS STARTED
WAY BACK IN 1999,
IT WAS AN EXPERIMENT.
WE HAD NO IDEA
WHAT WE WERE GONNA FIND.
ALL WE KNEW WAS
THAT THE FARMERS IN BRAZIL
HAD PUT A LOT OF EFFOR INTO INCREASING THE QUALITY
ON THEIR FARMS,
AND NO ONE
WOULD REWARD THEM FOR IT.
NO ONE WOULD PAY ANY ATTENTION
TO ALL THE WORK THEY HAD DONE,
AND ALL THEY KEPT SAYING WAS
THAT BRAZIL COULDN'T PRODUCE
QUALITY COFFEE AT ALL.
SO, DURING THAT PROJECT,
AS AN EXPERIMENT,
WE SAID TO THEM,
"WELL, YOU COME DOWN HERE
AND YOU CUP THESE COFFEES,
AND YOU DETERMINE WHICH COFFEES
YOU THINK ARE THE BEST."
AND SO THEY DID.
THEY CAME DOWN.
AND THEN WE SAID,
"WELL, THEN WHAT?
WHAT DO WE GIVE THE FARMERS
AS A REWARD?
YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE
A FARMER A CERTIFICATE.
YOU CAN'T TAKE A CERTIFICATE
TO THE BANK."
WE DECIDED
TO HAVE AN INTERNET AUCTION.
NOW, NOBODY HAD EVER DONE
AN INTERNET AUCTION
FOR ANY PRODUCT LIKE COFFEE.
AND SO WE DEVELOPED
THIS INTERNET AUCTION
AND THE FARMERS
THOUGHT WE HAD LOST OUR MIND.
THEY THOUGHT WE WERE CRAZY,
AND THEY MADE US BUY
THEIR COFFEE AT THE C PRICE
BEFORE THEY'D EVEN LET US
TAKE IT TO AUCTION.
WHEN WE TOOK IT TO AUCTION,
IT BROKE ALL THE PRICES
THAT THEY'D EVER GOTTEN,
AND THAT WAS THE FIRST PROGRAM.
AND WHETHER YOU WIN
OR WHETHER YOU DON'T...
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-YOU GUYS, THE FARMERS,
ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PAR OF THE COFFEE INDUSTRY.
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT'S VERY TRICKY
FOR COFFEE FARMERS,
IS THA IT'S NEVER COMPLETE CERTAINTY.
AND THIS IS ONE OF THE AREAS
WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF RISK
INVOLVED IN FARMING,
BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO MAKE
DECISIONS TODAY
THAT YOU WON'T BE ABLE
TO GET ANY RESULTS FROM
FOR THREE, FOUR,
SOMETIMES FIVE YEARS.
SO, IF IT DIDN'T WORK,
YOU'D HAVE TO START AGAIN --
MAYBE ANOTHER FOUR YEARS.
SO, THERE'S QUITE A LO OF GAMBLING THAT GOES IN COFFEE,
AND IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS
WHY FARMERS ARE VERY RELUCTAN TO TRY THINGS
THAT ARE NEW TO THEM.
AS ROASTERS,
WE CAN TRY A NEW ROASTING STYLE,
AND IF IT DOESN'T WORK,
WE WASTED 15 MINUTES OF TIME
AND MAYBE $100 OF COFFEE.
BUT IF A FARMER IS TRYING
TO EXPERIMEN WITH TREE VARIETIES,
YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LOOKING
AT FOUR YEARS OF INVESTMEN AND A LOT OF HOPE.
-THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
THAT COFFEE FARMERS HAVE
ISN'T THAT THEY CAN'T SELL
THEIR COFFEE
FOR ENOUGH PER POUND.
IT'S THAT THEY JUST DON'T HAVE
ENOUGH OF IT TO SELL
BECAUSE THEIR FARM IS SO SMALL.
SO, THERE'S NOT MUCH
THAT SOMETHING
LIKE THE CUP OF EXCELLENCE
CAN DO ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW?
EVEN IF A COFFEE FARMER SELLS
HIS COFFEE FOR $25 A POUND,
IF HIS FARM IS VERY SMALL,
IT'S STILL GONNA NOT BE ENOUGH.
-EVERYONE'S MAKING MONEY
AT THE TOP OF THE SCALE, RIGHT?
THE BROKER'S MAKING MONEY,
THE SHIPPING COMPANIES
ARE MAKING MONEY,
THE ROASTERS ARE MAKING MONEY
BECAUSE THEY COME IN
OR WHATEVER IT IS, BUT THE GUY
WHO'S ALWAYS GONNA MAKE
THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY
IS THE GUY WHO'S PICKING IT.
HE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THAT,
BECAUSE THAT HAS NOTHING
TO DO WITH IT.
"OH, GUESS WHAT -- THE PRICE
IS LIKE $10 A POUND
FOR RAW COFFEE!"
"OH, I'M STILL GETTING PAID
BY DAY, DUDE.
I'M NOT GETTING PAID
MORE THAN WHAT I WORK."
SO THEY'RE ALWAYS GONNA BE HUR ALL THE TIME.
-IF FARMERS ARE HUNGRY,
THEY'RE NOT GONNA FOCUS
ON THE QUALITY OF THEIR COFFEE,
SO WE NEED TO ADDRESS
THE BIGGER PICTURE HERE.
THEY UNDERSTAND
THAT WE'RE INTERESTED
IN SOMETHING BIGGER
THAN JUST A POUND OF COFFEE
OR A CONTAINER OF COFFEE.
[ CONVERSING IN SPANISH ]
-AT THE HEART OF EVERY
DIRECT TRADE RELATIONSHIP
IS THAT, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY,
WE TRUST THE FARMERS
THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH
TO DO ALL OF THE THINGS
THAT THEY SAY
THAT THEY'RE GOING TO DO,
BECAUSE WE CAN'T BE AT EVERY
FARM EVERY DAY, ALL YEAR LONG.
AND AT THE SAME TIME,
THE FARMERS TRUST US
THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO
WHAT WE SAY WE'RE DOING
AND WHAT WE PROMISED TO DO,
WHICH IS TO PAY
VERY GREAT PRICES
FOR THE COFFEES,
TO PAY PREMIUMS
FOR ADDITIONAL QUALITY,
TO REWARD EXCELLENCE
WHEREVER WE SEE IT,
AND THEN TO REPRESENT THOSE
COFFEES FOR THEM IN OUR MARKETS.
PRESENT THEM TO CONSUMERS
WITH ALL OF THEIR QUALITY STILL
INTACT -- NOT POORLY ROASTED,
NOT OVER-ROASTED
OR UNDER-ROASTED,
NOT POORLY EXTRACTED,
BUT TO REALLY DELIVER
ON THE PROMISE OF THAT COFFEE
AND HELP TO ACT IN THAT ROLE
AS AMBASSADORS FOR THE COFFEE.
[ CONVERSING IN SPANISH ]
-IF WE DON'T MAKE
OURSELVES AWARE --
AND I WOULD SAY THIS IS BOTH
FOR COFFEE ROASTERS
AND FOR CONSUMERS --
JUST PAY ATTENTION.
PAY ATTENTION TO WHA WE'RE DOING TO THE ENTIRE GLOBE
WITH SOME OF OUR BEHAVIORS
AND THE WAY THAT WE BUY THINGS.
KNOW THAT THERE'S AN IMPACT.
YOU KNOW, VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET.
IN ESSENCE, VOTE WITH YOUR FEET.
SUPPORT THOSE PEOPLE
THAT ARE TRYING
TO DO A GOOD JOB.
SUPPORT THOSE ROASTERS
THAT ARE REALLY TRYING
TO HELP FARMERS.
-WE GET TO HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE
THAT OTHER INDUSTRIES DON'T HAVE
ABOUT BRIDGING THOSE GAPS.
YOU KNOW, WE'VE BROUGHT FARMERS
AND PRODUCERS
TO COME AND SHARE THEIR STORIES
WITH OUR CUSTOMERS,
WHERE, YOU KNOW,
AROUND ONE TABLE,
YOU CAN HAVE
THAT WHOLE SUPPLY CHAIN.
AND THAT IS JUS AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE,
ESPECIALLY IN A WORLD
THAT'S SO DISCONNECTED
AND SO COMMERCIALIZED
AND CAN BE SO COLD.
HAVING THOSE EXPERIENCES
THAT TIE US TO OUR FOOD
IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO PEOPLE.
-ALL THESE EFFORTS COMBINED
ARE HELPING THE FUTURE
OF SPECIALTY COFFEE.
SO, JUST IN TERMS OF THE PRICES,
YOU KNOW,
GOOD, SOUND,
ETHICAL COFFEE ROASTERS
WILL FIGURE OUT A WAY TO PAY
THAT MONEY FOR GREEN COFFEE
BECAUSE THEY KNOW
THAT IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW,
A JAB TO GET MORE MONEY
OUT OF THEM.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT REALLY IS
FOR THE BETTER
OF THE INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE.
-I THINK IF YOU JUST LOOK AT I ON THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL
AND TALK ABOUT WHAT IS --
WHAT DOES SUSTAINABILITY
LOOK LIKE IN COFFEE?
I THINK THE FIRST THING THAT YOU
NEED TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER IS,
IS GROWING COFFEE SOMETHING
THAT IS A LEGITIMATE
AND VIABLE CAREER CHOICE
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE?
AND YOU SEE A LOT OF VERY OLD
FARMERS UP THERE
AND FEWER
YOUNG FARMERS EVERY YEAR,
AND THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT.
IT'S BECAUSE THE CHILDREN
OF COFFEE GROWERS
HAVE SEEN THE WAY
THEIR PARENTS WERE LIVING
AND DECIDED
THAT'S NOT ATTRACTIVE,
THAT'S NO AN EXCITING CAREER PATH,
AND THEY'RE LEAVING COFFEE
TO DO OTHER THINGS.
WHAT WOULD IT TAKE
FOR A YOUNG SON OR DAUGHTER
OF A COFFEE GROWER
TO DECIDE THAT THAT'S WHA THEY WANT TO DO WITH THEIR LIFE?
THEY WANT TO RUN A COFFEE FARM
AND PRODUCE GREAT COFFEE.
-SOMEONE ONCE SAID
THAT WHAT WE DO HERE
AS CITIZENS,
AS ACTIVISTS, TO PROMOTE
CHANGE -- REAL CHANGE --
IMPACTS EVERYONE IN THE WORLD.
IF YOU FIND OUT THAT THOSE
ARE REAL STORIES OF PEOPLE,
AND KNOWING
THOSE REAL STORIES OF PEOPLE
HELPS YOU IN UNDERSTANDING
WHAT THEIR LIVES ARE LIKE,
WHAT THEIR DILEMMAS ARE,
WHAT THEIR CHALLENGES ARE.
-THINGS LIKE
THE CUP OF EXCELLENCE
AND DIRECT TRADE
AND THINGS THAT REALLY VALUE --
PUT PLACE A PREMIUM ON COFFEES
THAT TASTE REALLY GOOD --
IS THEY SPEAK TO THE IDEA OF
EQUITY THAT THE FARMER DESERVES.
WHO CREATED
THAT QUALITY IN THE FIRST PLACE,
GETS TO PROSPER BY IT,
AT LEAST AS MUCH AS ANYBODY ELSE
IN THE CHAIN.
AND THAT CONCEP IS VERY IMPORTANT,
AND IT MAY OR MAY NO HAVE A DIRECT AFFEC ON THAT FARMER THAT DAY,
BUT IT'S PART OF WHAT WE NEED
TO DO IN THE LONG TERM,
WHICH IS CREATE
BETTER LIVELIHOODS
FOR PEOPLE IN AGRICULTURE
ALL OVER THE WORLD
GROWING ALL SORTS OF THINGS.
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
-SUSTAINABLE HARVES IS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE
BASED IN PORTLAND, OREGON,
THAT IMPORTS
GREEN SPECIALTY COFFEE
THAT COMES FROM FARMS
THAT WE HAVE DIREC RELATIONSHIPS WITH.
AND THE FOCUS IS THAT WE TRY
TO MAKE A MORE DIRECT CONNECTION
BETWEEN THE GROWERS
AND THE ROASTERS,
WHERE THE GROWERS KNEW
WHO THEY WERE SELLING TO
AND THE BUYERS KNEW
WHO THEY WERE BUYING FROM.
[ CHILDREN SHOUTING ]
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-WHEN SUSTAINABLE HARVEST STAFF
WENT DOWN
TO VISIT THE COOPERATIVE,
THEY MET A LOT OF THE WOMEN
AND TALKED WITH FATIMA,
AND AS THEY WERE CUPPING
THROUGH THE COFFEES
THAT THE COOPERATIVE HAD
TO SELL,
THEY REALIZED THAT MANY
OF THE BEST QUALITY COFFEES
WERE COMING
FROM WOMEN PRODUCERS.
AND THAT STARTED A CONVERSATION,
WHICH EVENTUALLY LED TO THE IDEA
TO SELL AND MARKE A WOMEN'S PRODUCED COFFEE.
THEY DEVELOPED THE IDEA
TO BRAND THE COFFEE
AND CALL IT LAS HERMANAS,
WHICH MEANS "THE SISTERS."
THE IDEA BEING TO PROMOTE
AND RECOGNIZE THE ROLE
THAT WOMEN WERE PLAYING
IN THIS REALLY IMPORTAN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IN NICARAGUA
AND FOR THEIR FAMILIES.
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATION ]
[ INDISTINCT CHATTER ]
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
[ BABY CRYING ]
-COFFEE OF LAS HERMANAS
BEING IN PLACES LIKE PEET'S,
BEING HELD AS A COFFEE
THAT EVERY SUMMER
WOULD COME OU AS A SPECIAL RESERVE,
THE CONNECTION
THAT THE WOMEN FARMERS HAD
OF SEEING THEIR OWN PRODUC WITH A NAME
THAT THEY CONTROLLED,
THAT REPRESENTED THE WORK
OF SOPPEXCCA.
IT WAS NO LONGER
JUST A NICARAGUAN COFFEE.
IT WAS THEIR COFFEE.
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
[ INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS ]
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
-COFFEE HAS BEEN VALUED
SINCE THE BEGINNING
FOR ITS STIMULANT EFFECT,
AND THAT'S THE REASON
WHY PEOPLE STARTED
TO GET INTERESTED IN IT,
BUT IT IS SO MUCH MORE
THAN THAT.
-IT EVOKES A PASSION
WITHIN EACH ONE OF US.
IT IS FOR ME --
IT IS LITERALLY --
IT'S BEEN MY LIFE FORCE
AND I'VE BEEN IN THIS
FOR 38 YEARS.
AND EVERY DAY,
WHEN I LOOK INTO THE CUP,
I SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT,
AND THAT'S WHAT I LIKE
ABOUT MY JOB.
EVERY DAY I CUP,
THERE'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
IT TELLS ME A DIFFERENT STORY.
IT MAKES ME RE-THINK
AND IT HUMBLES ME, YOU KNOW?
EVEN IF I SAY I KNOW IT ALL,
I DON'T KNOW IT,
BECAUSE, EVERY DAY, I'M COMING
UP WITH SOMETHING ELSE.
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW,
TO THINK THAT A TINY BEAN
WHICH COMES FROM A LITTLE FRUI CAN HUMBLE AN INDIVIDUAL --
I THINK THAT BEAN NEEDS
A GREAT, GREAT DEAL OF RESPECT.
-UNDERSTANDING
WHAT'S BEHIND THE TASTE,
WHAT'S BEHIND THE FOOD,
WHAT'S BEHIND THE COFFEE,
AND ONCE WE START TO LOOK,
WE PEEL BACK THE CURTAIN
AND WE SEE THAT THERE ARE
A LOT OF PEOPLE
BEHIND THAT FOOD
AND PEOPLE BEHIND THE COFFEE
WHO DEPEND ON ITS PRODUCTION
FOR THEIR LIVELIHOODS.
-THERE ARE SO MANY HANDS
THAT TOUCH COFFEE
BETWEEN ITS PRODUCTION
AND ITS CONSUMPTION,
AND THE STORY
TOLD BY THOSE HANDS
IS WHAT COFFEE REPRESENTS.
IT GIVES EVERY CUP ITS STORY.
-[ SPEAKING SPANISH ]
[ LIZZIE WEBER'S
"VIDA CAFENADA" PLAYS ]
SUNSHINE
SOFT RAIN
NO YEAR'S THE SAME
RICH SOIL
SURE HANDS
FRUIT OF YOUR LAND
UNIVERSAL ROLE REVERSAL
SISTERS, BROTHERS
SERVING OTHERS
LA VIDA CAFENADA
LA VIDA ANIMADA
MOUNTAIN
MAGIC
REACH OUT AND GRAB I WARM HANDS
WARM HEARTS
EACH DAY, FRESH STARTS
I GET UP EACH DAY AND SMILE
THROUGH THE YEARS,
IT'S ALL WORTHWHILE
LA VIDA CAFENADA
LA VIDA ANIMADA
[ SINGING IN SPANISH ]
LA VIDA CAFENADA
[ SINGING IN SPANISH ]
LA VIDA CAFENADA
LA VIDA ANIMADA
LA VIDA CAFENADA
LA VIDA ANIMADA