How do you like yours?

"The traditional way of preparing coffee in Costa Rica supposedly comes from the "biggin" system, which was widely used during the Victorian times in England and Holland during the XVIII century. The concept was simple: you hung a cloth bag full of ground coffee on a metal ring that was adapted to a metal recipient that served as the coffee pot."

A Legend of Coffee's Origin...

"Among the many legends that have developed concerning the origin of coffee, one of the most popular accounts is that of Kaldi, an Abyssinian goatherd, who lived around AD 850. One day he observed his goats behaving in an abnormally exuberant manner, skipping, rearing on their hindlegs and bleating loudly. He noticed they were eating the bright red berries that grew on the green bushes nearby.

Kaldi tried a few himself, and soon felt a novel sense of elation. He filled his pockets with the berries and ran home to announce his discovery to his wife. They are heaven sent, she declared. You must take them to the Monks in the monastery.

Kaldi presented the chief Monk with a handful of berries and related his discovery of their miraculous effect. "Devil!" exclaimed the monk, and hurled the berries in the fire.

Within minutes the monastery filled with the heavenly aroma of roasting beans, and the other monks gathered to investigate. The beans were raked from the fire and crushed to extinguish the embers. The Monk ordered the grains to be placed in the ewer and covered with hot water to preserve their goodness. That night the monks sat up drinking the rich and fragrant brew, and from that day vowed they would drink it daily to keep them awake during their long, nocturnal devotions."

Fun Facts...

• Coffee Day is celebrated in Costa Rica on September 12th
• There are 7,800 coffee producers in Costa Rica, chiefly small-scale farmers; 101 processing plants that transform the fruit into coffee, wash, dry and wharehouse it; 73 roasters that toast and grind the bean; and 30 exporting companies.
• Coffee is only grown near the equator, from the Tropic of Cancer to the Tropic of Capricorn, within a 1,000 mile limit.
• 400 Billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide, making it the most popular beverage
• You can put some cold coffee or coffee grounds into the dirt of your ailing plants to revive them.
• Costa Rica is the only country in the world where a presidential decree (November 4, 1989) states that only Arabica varieties of coffee may be planted.

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