Good Cup of Joe

Once upon a time I lived one of my life long dreams and saw and learned the process of the creation of the rich & necessary drink I consume every morning; coffee.

Tucked away behind the most beautiful valley of one of Rwanda’s 1000 hills, lay a small village complete with a school, banana farm, safe house, compound, and coffee farm. The process of making coffee is entirely fascinating. The red, juicy beans are first picked, then the beans are dried in the hot Rwandan sun. In midst of this process the beans turn green. The beans are soaked until the shells are moist once again, and are then put through a machine that de-shells them. Then, once again, they are set in the sun to dry. (All the while SO many beautiful hands are touching these beans.) They then roast them and bag them and carry them miles to the nearest store/ middle man of distribution. The process is beautiful, yet lengthily, tedious, and taxing. So many beautiful hands are involved in this process. So many stories are inside your cup. So many lives are able to be lived because of this drink so many of us demand. Understanding the process makes it so much more than more than delicious caffeine.

Appreciate what is in your cup.