Friday, April 6, 2007

Coffee Time

Commenter Isabella Mori asked if there were any automatic things I didn’t include in my post about the Successful Secrets.
Well, the big one is coffee. I restrict myself to two cups a day, in the morning, though I make exceptions.

When we were in Costa Rica in 2001 I drank as much of it as I could. Some of the best coffee in the world is grown there and the Ticos are justifiably proud of their product. As such, it all but flows from the taps.

At our hotel in Arenal the coffee was on and it was free to guests. It was just outside the lobby in a recessed area complete with comfortable chairs. It was a glorious place to relax.

Arenal’s chief drawing card is its volcano. It dominates the skyline and it was shooting sparks when we were there. The trick is you have to get up before 6 a.m. to see it, though, as the clouds start building about then and it’s obscured by 6:30.
Early is easy for me and it was already light. I made my way to the hotel’s roof volcano viewing area early enough and stopped by the reception area to see about coffee. Despite it having sat all night it was still tastier than most I’ve had here.

It was far different from the version I drank in Peru years earlier. At one particular place it was boiled down to a syrup and poured into my cup to about one-third full.
It seemed absolutely perfect as it was, but my waiter proceeded to thin it with water to make a full cup. It was okay, but I do wish I’d just had the syrup.

Fellow blogger Bunnygirl posted the other day about a new product called “Java Juice.”

It’s a liquid coffee extract in individual packets that are easily transported. You can add hot or cold liquid to it as you see fit and enjoy a proper cup wherever you go.

I wonder if the inventor spent a bit of time in Peru?

Here’s Bunnygirl’s take on it: http://tri-bunny.blogspot.com/2007/04/cool-product-idea-java-juice.html

More about Java juice:http://javajuiceextract.com/

6 comments:

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Thanks for linking to me!

My Java Juice shipped today, so we'll know soon if it's any good.

Leah J. Utas said...

Thanks for stopping by, Bunnygirl.

I looking forward to finding out what you think of Java Juice.

Leah J. Utas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

mmmmhhhh ... reminds me of my time in paraguay. i knew this guy who had bicycled throughout south america (in the 70s, when that was not yet a chique thing to do) and settled in the hills of the gentle jungle in southeastern paraguay. he had a semi wild coffee plantation, a bunch of cows, and a little shack right by a brook "owned" by a bunch of monkeys. he had this special way of cooking (yes, cooking) on-the-spot roasted coffee, and we drank it as a type of latte, with freshly milked milk. the best coffee i ever had.

Talia said...

I've never understood the love affair with coffee. It can smell nice when it's roasting but I don't like the taste - not even in chocolates. Not really much into caffeine. Occasionally have it in fanta or mountain dew but never touch cola, tea (other than herbal) or coffee

veinglory said...

I used to be very fussy about me coffee after doing my coffee-feuled PhD in Wellington NZ where there is a tight culture of Italian style roasting and brewing. But after some time working on a farm in Scotland where tea and coffee with masses of milk and sugar was taken instead of breakfast I will now taken any caffeine form I can get ;) I even like Coke Blac