Assesment!!! aka Quiz.

After the presentation please click this link and take our quiz.

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/take-quiz.php?id=0903181413077267&a=1&

-Molly&Danielle&Maddy&Brooke

Opening Video of Colombia

http://www.artemotore.com/video/index.asp?v=1416

Climates of Colombia

Generally speaking, the coffee production climates in Colombia is wet and tropical. Summer is the primary rainy season, but there isn't really a dry season. The Eastern Caribbean and Pacific coastal lowlands experience a climate of high temperatures and high humidity throughout the whole year, with rainfall averaging up to 40 inches a year. In the mountainous areas of the country, conditions are cooler and more changeable than others due to prevailing winds and high altitudes.

An interesting fact: Colombians actually customarily describe their country in terms of climatic zones.
- The area under 900 meters in elevation is called the hot zone.
- Elevations between 900 and 1,980 meters are called the temperate zone.
- Elevations from 1,980 meters to about 3,500 meters are defined as the cold zone.

-Brooke

Connections

Thinking about connections between Colombian coffee production and consumption nationally, here is what we came up with, both locally in Vermont and internationally throughout the world.

Locally:

• Green Mountain Coffee Roasters sells two kinds of Colombian coffee: 'Newman's Colombian Especial,' and 'Colombian Fair Trade Select.'



• GMCR also sells Colombian coffee in K-Cup form. 'Colombia K-Cup,' and 'Colombian Fair Trade Select.'
  

Internationally:

• Main importers of Colombian coffee are the United States, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Nationally:

• Turkey Hill Ice Cream makes a Colombian Coffee Ice Cream flavor!!
  
  

-Molly & Maddy

~Coffee Harvesting in Colombia~

Above is a picture of the berries that the farmers pick individually by hand!

First, the farmers pick the coffee berries by hand! Then the farmers put the berries in sacks on their backs or on animals back such as donkeys. The coffee berries are then depulped. The pulp is then used as compost! The beans are then put in a big fermentation tank for 24 hours to separate the unwanted matter from the beans. This is what sets Colombian mild coffee apart from other mild coffee's! After the beans have been properly fermented they are washed with water to get rid of the damaged coffee beans and other unwanted matter. Finally the beans are dried in pure sunlight during the day and covered at night or when raining. Now the beans are ready to be bagged and shipped off to coffee companies!

-Maddy

Coffee Production Areas in Colombia

Salento, a small town in the foothills of the Cordillera Central is coffee country, the center of Colombia's Zona Cafetera. It is here, that a vast majority of the country's annual 66 million tons of coffee is grown.
In addition to their coffee, the growers of the area have recieved income from tourists as well. Today, most farms of Colombia and all around the globe are opened to visitors. The people are interested to learn exactly how these products are produced on this land.

Other places in which you can find great lands of coffee production include:

-Villa Luz Farm: Farmers grow and process their coffee, then carry it into into Concordia on mule-back. In town, the yearly coffee harvest festival brings tourists and travelers who buy the region's many delicious coffees. Below is an overview of the farmed fields on the plantation, that have been cultivated for the past 50 years.

The published "Coffee Route" (the map shown below) is an organized route for travelers to follow, while touring through the coffee-growing region, tucked into the mountains southwest of Bogota.

The primary coffee growing regions in Colombia are:

• Popayan, Cauca
• Huila, San Augustin
• Antioquia, Medellin
• Quindio, Armenia
• Santander, Bucaramanga
• Magdelena, Sierra Nevada
• Nariño

-Brooke

Roasting of Colombian Coffee

Roasting techniques in Colombia have changed a lot over time. From the fourteenth century to the late nineteenth century coffee beans had been roasted with charcoal in saucepans. Once the rotary gas-ignited oven was developed, the coffee industry was forever changed. The oven, roasts the beans at temperatures between 400 °F and 425 °F for 10 to 20 minutes. roasting the coffee beans coverts the starches into the aromatic oils which gives the coffee its signature flavor. Dark roast beasn contain less acid, less caffeine then lighter roasts, and a shorter shelf life. Darker roasts often loose the natural flavor and take on a smoky, pungent, burnt taste. The lighter roasted beans have a sharper taste the the dark roasts. It suffers less heat exposure, maintaining the beans qualities. the lighter roasts tend to use a higher quality bean then the darker roasts due to the exposure of the natural flavors in the beans.

Several roasting levels have thier own characteristics and may be suitable to different tastes fo specific uses. The Levels are (from lightest to darkest) Cinnamon Roast, American Roast, City Roast, Full City Roast, Vienna, French Roast, Italian, and Espresso.

-Danielle

History and Fair Trade in Colombia

Coffee was initially introduced to Colombia in the 1800s. The country began to trade coffee in 1835, and during the twentieth century, coffee was Colombia's main export - in 1999, it was almost 4% of the national income.

The regions of coffee production in Colombia are the following: Norte de Santander, Antioquia, Valle del Dauca, Tolima, Caldas, Risaralda, Quinidio, and Cundinamarca.

Close to 75% of coffee production is exported from Colombia, and today they account for about 12% of the coffee market in the world; second only to Brazil.

The Colombian Coffee Federation was founded in 1927 to build the success and fair payment of coffee farmers. It is owned and controlled by Colombia's coffee farmers (there are over 500,000). By being a part of the FNC, farmers get benefits and power that they otherwise would not in a small organization. All the profits made by the FNC are given back to the farmers and their communities. The FNC's most important work led to the fact that Colombian coffee now sells at a price premium on the international coffee market, which provides a higher standard of living for the farmers.

-Molly

Survey Results So Far...

A couple weeks ago, our group sent out an email to the female teachers at MHS to collect data about their knowledge and experience with coffee. Checking out the results today, we found that 20 out of the 50 people we sent the survey to have taken it... and here are some of our observations about the data:

• 65% of the people knew what fair trade is - not just in a yes or no situation, but when actually explaining with a short response.


• The majority of the female teachers only drink one cup of coffee a day -- a fact that our group found surprising, thinking it would be higher than this.


• When asked to name their three favorite coffee brands, most people preferred Green Mountain, Vermont Artisan, and Dunkin Donuts.


• An overwhelming 83% of the survey takers said that the maximum amount they would pay for a cup of coffee was under three dollars.


• There wasn't a huge definitive margin for what age female teachers had their first cup of coffee, but at 35%, the maximum was at over 20 years of age... followed closely at 30% between the ages of 16 and 20.

Overall we expected more people to have started drinking coffee younger, and to be drinking more coffee than the data we recieved. Some data we were very surprised by, but others were expected.

Hopefully we'll get more input so that we can see more of a range of data!

-Molly, Danielle, Maddy, Brooke

Liz Manriquez- Espresso Bueno

This week we welcomed Liz Manriquez into our classroom for a presentation. Our class was especially excited for her arrival, noting that she is the owner of the well-known coffee shop Espresso Bueno located in Barre, VT. In her presentation she explained her opinions and relationships in and about the coffee community. She taught us about her experiences with being a barista, and about the barista competitions she has participated in. Once asking her if she knew anything about fair trade, she explained its functions and responsibilities in the coffee industry. Lastly, the part that we all anticipated was the testing of her coffee, that had been brewed at Espresso Bueno, just minutes before. Mmmm.

The above right is a picture of the modern, yet comfortable cafe - Espresso Bueno.

Mane' and Aaron!

This week we had a very interesting guy visit us! He is the founder of Vermont Artisan Coffee and a world renound coffee taster, his name is Mane' Alvez. Mane' was such a treat, and so fun to listen to! He taught us three ways to brew coffee at home, each tasted incredibly different! Mane' was kind enough to share samples of coffee with each of us and share his extensive knowledge too! We also had the opportunity to meet one of Mane's employees named Aaron. He was a very nice guy as was Mane', and shared his knowledge of coffee with us at a basic level. Through meeting Aaron, we got to see what qualities Mane' looks for in his workers! We hope to soon visit the Vermont Artisan Factory to see what goes on behind the scenes with coffee!
Here is a picture the men themselves!

Juan Valdez!!

Last week, our group found out about a fictional character, Juan Valdez, that the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia created. He was created in 1959 to represent the Colombian coffee farmer. Over the years he has become an icon for Colombian coffee; people there think of Juan when they think of coffee. This character was to represent the beans that are only grown and harvested in Colombia.

Juan has found his way into modern pop culture, and his appearance is often mocked in television and movies.

Juan Valdez was an extremely smart marketing skill - it made the people of Colombia believe he was an actual person for a while, and if the coffee was good enough for Juan, it was good enough for the citizens of Colombia.

Juan Valdez vs. Starbucks:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=786896n

-Molly, Danielle, Maddy, Brooke

Some Pretty Interesting Info

So here's some random but interesting facts about Colombian coffee and its production!

• It is sold by grade rather than by market name or region. Supremo is the highest grade, and Extra is the second highest grade.



• There are many different levels of roasts for Colombian coffee including: Cinnamon Roast, American Roast, City Roast, Full City Roast, Vienna Roast, French Roast, Italian Roast, and Espresso Roast.



• The main diseases of the coffee plantations in Colombia are caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses and nematodes.



• The Colombian coffee zone is over 3,000 acres.

Click to see an ad for Columbian coffee: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHQAAfVvvOU

Enjoy!

Molly, Maddy, Danielle, Brooke

Colombian Coffee Rocks!!!

Hola! We are researching coffee from Colombia! Our names are Brooke Bova, Danielle Baroudi, Molly Taylor, and Madison Cowan. Enjoy!
Here is a lovely video for you to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCtmVErIf7k