It’s way, way too early to be awake, but it’s way too hard to sleep. The problem with traveling to Africa or IndonesiaUSDA is (obviously) the United States Department of Agriculture. USDA also had coffee plant breeding programs in the past and one variety they distributed to Indonesia and was... is you are totally flipped, time-zone wise. Nothing seems right, and I am not especially good with time zone changes.
I brought this second hand book with me, The Devil’s Cup, a coffee travelogue with lots of neat information (not all of it accurate – is Harar where RobustaAteng is a common name for Catimor coffees widely planted in Sumatra and other Indonesia isles.: Ateng, with several subtypes, is a common name for Catimor coffees widely... “evolved” into ArabicaArabica refers to Coffea Arabica, the taxonomic species name of the genus responsible for around 75% of the worlds commercial coffee crop.: Arabica refers to Coffea Arabica, the... coffee? I don’t think so).
Along with mistakes, there’s the general swashbuckling traveler narrative; dusty roads, broken-down trains, sweatyUsually a taste defect, reminiscent of the smell of flavor of sweat, sometimes considered mildly positive.: Usually a taste defect, reminiscent of the smell of flavor of sweat,... street-side cafes, bitterBitterness is one of 5 basic tastes: Sour, Sweet, Salty, Bitter and Umami (savory flavors). There are many types of bitterness, hence not one avenue to tracking down... coffee. Ironically, I have been to most of the places this guy has, but I didn’t arrive on an Eritrean smuggler’s boat, or hitchhiking in the back of a cargo truck. I flew, and quite nicely.
It’s not like Addis, or Harar, or Dire Dawa, or Sana’a are that difficult to reach; in fact on Emirates airline I had a massaging seat and more movies than my cable at home! It’s just that it takes time that many people don’t have. But that doesn’t make for a great “coffee adventure story”.
I guess you have to read the book to know what I am talking about, but I have a very different impulse when it comes to a great trip like this. I think it is good enough as it is, no need to dress it up. The facts are plenty interesting, not enough to sell books, but certainly to those already interested in coffee.
That’s my 5 am thought; I will cup here in Addis again today, checking out new lots as they start to come in to the warehouses from the micro-regions. And if today is like the first day’s cuppingCupping is a method of tasting coffee by steeping grounds in separate cups for discrete amounts of ground coffee, to reveal good flavors and defects to their fullest...., things should be great this season!
