Culture at the Heart of What We Consume

 Every food, regardless of its origin, has a story and coffee is no different.  The purist will have you believe that it is about biology and chemistry, flavor wheels, and roasting techniques, but what about the artistry of how all these little pieces come together to make that one sip an unforgettable experience.

We all have that food memory that somehow seems to resonate at a different frequency than other memories. For some it may be figuring out how many licks it took to get to the center of a Tootise Pop as kids. The giggling and sticky fingers, losing count and having to start over and finally, the crunch of impatience.Or was it that Turbo au Beurre Blanc in the castle in the Loire Valley in France.  The evening was perfect, the surroundings echoing in dreams for years and the taste that never faded.

Coffee, for many is that experience. Coffee is one of the most universal social foods. Deals are made, news shared, friendships forged, and meditations all blend into the experience of coffee. The coffee experience is now joining the ranks of wine tastings in the form of cuppings. Scoring precisely brewed cups of single origin coffee in blind tastings is fast becoming social entertainment. But what about the travel log of coffee experiences? How do you score that memorable cup of thick, sweet, black coffee made with brownish boiled water while sitting in child sized chairs with a Tuareq merchant in the Saharra Desert? It ranks 100 despite the traces of sand at the bottom of the cup.

 In Haiti the traditional cup of coffee is so dark it mirrors the forest trees overhead. The beans are naturally  processed and rarely tiraged to the extent they are for export. Roasting is done over an open charcoal burner in small batches bringing a strong smokiness to the aroma and flavor of the beans. Many roasters add rapado or raw sugar cane cake to the beans while roasting.  The sugar caramelizes and permeates the beans adding rich caramel sweetness to the smokiness. The beans are then pounded in a wooden mortar and pestle and steeped in boiling water similar to a french press. The result is unique with every cup yet typically Haitian. For  most it is love at first sip, unless they fell upon a cheater who used instant or a chicory blend.

 The morning cup would not be complete without the tropical fruits adding to the buccal celebration, the relaxation that only hot humidity can bring and the fresh morning breeze off the ocean that brings hope for a new day.

 For those desiring a sweeter, creamier wake up, there is Haiti's raw sugar that still tastes of the cane, the unmistakable flavor of ultra pasteurized (or long life) milk and Haiti's chocolate with a hint of cinnamon.
Someday all this may make it to a menu board near you.

Lastly,

What morning cup of Haitian coffee would be complete without the resident cat begging for a bit of sausage?

Another cupping score of 100 for a cup of coffee at the origin.

Drink Haitian !