Episode 4: Meeting Diego Chavarria: Part 2
After that grueling 6-hour ride from the Managua airport to the wide spot in the two-track called Quapotol, it was great to get out of the Jeep.
Roosters crowed and pigs were grunting. It smelled of a farm I was used to, but also very different. There was a faint fruity smell and, as I looked up into the mountain behind the farm operation, I could see pickers moving about. This was coffee harvest season, and the place was buzzing with activity.
The fruity smell was the de-pulping mill directly beside us (wet mill). As workers brought sacks of just-picked coffee fruit, they had to be processed. This involves taking the pulp of the fruit off exposing the bean. The beans are washed and then sun dried on large patios.
Several hundred pickers were employed earning their entire annual pay in 3-4 months of harvest. They start just at sun-up and pick till mid-afternoon. At that time, they begin working their bags of cherries to the wet mill to be de-pulped. It is crucial that this is done within 24 hours of picking or the fruit will begin to rot transferring off-tasting flavors to the coffee bean. By evening, all the cherries picked that day will be cleaned and ready for drying. This is a very important step.
“Dinner is ready,” Gloria called from the house nearby. We went in to clean up and eat. It was then I noticed the Nescafe jar on the table. “Diego, you really do drink Nescafe,” I stated out loud. I just could not believe it. For a farm that produces 200,000 pounds of ready-to-roast coffee each year, and he buys instant coffee to drink!
After dinner, I said I am ready to roast coffee! I took out a heat gun that I had modified to roast 40-gram samples. This was enough to make one large cup. As the beans fluidized in the chamber, Diego and three of his brothers were huddled around watching the procedure. I noticed Diego was nervous and wasn’t talking much like the others. It was then I realized how much he had on the line. What if his coffee did not meet the requirements of this gringo? What if this shot at a direct-trade relationship was not going to happen?
As the aroma wafted up from the roasting, I had no doubts. This was extremely high mountain grown Nicaragua coffee. And it had a clean aroma. This was going to be good!
As the beans cooled, Gloria put water on to boil. I took out my Hario V60 cone and a filter. I ground the coffee by hand on my little travel grinder and we did a pour over right there in front of this group. When the cone finished dripping I handed the first cup to Diego, and said, “Alright sir, taste your coffee.”
Diego slowly brought the cup to his lips and took a sip. Then, two small tear drops trickled down his cheeks… “That is gooooood,” he said. We actually hugged right there; excited to begin this journey together of introducing the USA, to the tastes of Quapotol!
Bueno café!!