#3

The tumultuous politics and undaunted tenacious spirit of Nicaragua

Most coffee producing countries are relatively poor. Many are strangers to democracy, with an unstable political climate that is an easy target for dictatorial rule. Nicaragua is a textbook example. Civil war and revolution successfully removed the right-wing dictatorship, only to have a left-wing dictator step in and take power. My first visit to the country was in 1984, right in the middle of the civil war.

#2

The indomitable spirit of the oppressed indigenous peoples of Guatemala

Guatemala. A country of towering volcanoes and dense jungle and home to the tallest mountain in Central America at 4,000 meters above sea level. Hidden in the depths of the jungle are pyramids built by the ancient Maya, carved with hieroglyphs and complex calendars. The ancestors of this great civilization are thought to be an indigenous tribe. Guatemala has the largest proportionate population of indigenous peoples in Latin America. These were the people enslaved by Spanish colonials and forced to work on coffee plantations. Coffee from Guatemala with its rich flavor and distinct acidity is popular in Japan. The cruel history of oppression that leaves a bitter aftertaste, however, is less well known.

#1

Pure Life – “Mild Country” Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a Spanish phrase meaning “a rich coast”. But it doesn’t mean the country is rich with oil or other resources. What it does have are people with gentle, kind hearts. When you get off a plane at the airport in the capital San José, the first thing that catches your eyes will be wall posters with a message, “Welcome to the Happiest Country of the World.” In fact, Costa Rica has ranked first in the United Nations survey of happiness levels around the world. Though materially poor, Costa Rica is emotionally rich. And what brought happiness to this developing nation was coffee.

Prologue

Around the World with Coffee: How Specialty Coffee is Changing the Industry 

Nowadays, you can know a lot about coffee. The variety of bean, the best brewing technique, the exact farm it was made on, the historical background. Each cup of coffee comes with an encyclopedic catalog of information. But even with all that, how much do we really know about Guatemala, Colombia, or any of the places that label our coffee packets? Nicaragua and Costa Rica may share a border, but their national characters have little in common. Mexico and Brazil are separated by continents with differences in everything from soil to society. And of course, this has an effect on the produce.