Indeed, there is a lot more than "just turtles" there...


So I've been working here at the coffee shop two days in a row since my wonderful sister agreed on short notice last wee to work for me on Friday so that I could devote my waking hours to writing a paper and studying for exams.

Yesterday I was looking at the coffees we had since I needed to refill the light/medium roast grind hopper and found a couple of sample bags of organic Galapagos Islands coffee (all the agriculture on the islands is done organically since it is a national park of Ecuador and the focus of major conservation efforts), my favorite coffee in the whole wide world. So organic Galapagos Island is what has been brewing for the past couple of days and people have shown a lot of interest, more than they usually do when I brew it up. People are intrigued by the fact that is from the Galapagos Islands or are drawn to it because of the word "organic", and when they ask me about it I can tell them that it is my favorite coffee and my choice when I buy beans for myself (not my only choice, but my most frequent).

However, I am tired of people saying, "I thought all they had was turtles." Seriously, the islands are not populated entirely by giant turtles and nothing more. That would be silly. Stop being silly people. These are doctors and nurses, educated people, who are making the assumption that the only inhabitants of the Galapagos Islands are turtles. Ok, ok, I understand that it may seem odd that a national park and wildlife conservation area may have a fairly good sized population and a coffee export industry, but it is not populated entirely by turtle. No.

So, I've been reading up on the islands and the coffee industry there, since I didn't know much about my favorite coffee. I learned that it is a district of Ecuador, which I did not know, and that coffee is the only export allowed. I learned that, not only is it required to be farmed sans pesticides and the like, under the shade of larger trees, but the export is limited to 5000 60kg bags a year. (Though I found it interesting that one article extolled the fact that it is shade grown under orange, avocado and guava trees while another claimed that these non-native plants were one of the major conservation problems on the islands.)

There is a population of about 30,000 on the islands according to the most recent census. I also found it interesting that San Cristóbal, the island where the coffee is grown, is the only island in the archipelago with fresh water. The coffee growers are very aware that conservation, or the lack thereof, would directly impact their business in such a self-contained eco-system and seem to strive for conservation as much as anyone. In the process they make yummy coffee.



San Cristóbal is the easternmost island and the second most populated. It was the island Darwin first set foot on. Two volcanos make up the island, one has been inactive for quite some time and the other last erupted in the last 200 years. These are one of the keys to the success of coffee on the island. Volcanic soil is the best for growing Coffea arabica.





In other coffee related news, I am in the search for either a suitable popcorn popper or the right kind of bread machine to rig up my own coffee roasting rig. The former would be an air popper rated at 1500 watts with side vents rather than a screen on the bottom of the chamber and with a little modification is one of the main home-roasting methods in use. The latter would be a Teflon-free bread machine wit a metal dough stirrer. I'd disconnect all the electronics and hook the motor up to a switch. The beans would go into the bread chamber and the stirrer would keep the bean mass stirred. I'd drill a hole in the machine in order to place a thermometer and then blow a heat gun into it to roast the beans. Anyway, I'm sure you all care so much, but I won't be working in coffee in a month (5 days a week of classes, no more R. Gabriels for Nick) and will need something to satisfy my coffeegeekery. So, my Christmas break will include some time visiting thrift stores in search of these things.

In other coffee related business, I need to find out if my sister knows anything about the fairly light-roast beans in the espresso grinder; they have been creating the most amazing shots these past two days. Seriously, thick, rich, golden crema and a wonderful flavour. Mmm, lovely. I'm afraid the shots aren't going to be as good when it gets down to the new batch I added on top, beans that look far more like our regular espresso blend (a blend created by yours truly a few years back; not my favorite espresso blend but a good base for the American style drinks that drive the espresso side of our business).

And now, in addition to reading about the Galapagos Islands and writing this fairly long blog entry I have spent time reading Language Log and playing with Lite-Brite. It is twelve-thirty. Three and a half hours remain before I can leave. Sweet. Nick is very bored.
- posted by Nick @ 12/14/2007 10:51:00 AM | 2 comments