{"id":5220,"date":"2016-06-13T12:43:36","date_gmt":"2016-06-13T12:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bucksurdu.com\/blog\/?p=5220"},"modified":"2016-06-13T12:43:36","modified_gmt":"2016-06-13T12:43:36","slug":"costa-rica-12-june-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/2016\/06\/13\/costa-rica-12-june-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"Costa Rica, 12 June 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cabin<\/a>
Cabin Number Three at Cabinas Capulin, Monte Verde, Costa Rica<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On this day, we were on our own in Monte Verde without our guide, Orlando. \u00a0We began with another terrific breakfast, provided in the reception area of Cabinas Capulin<\/em> before setting out for the Don Juan coffee and cacao tour. \u00a0The Don Juan tour was billed as “three tours in one:” coffee, sugar cane, and cacao. \u00a0The sugar cane portion seemed like an afterthought, and the coffee portion was good, but for me the highlight was the cacao portion.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/a>
Our guide explaining how coffee beans are germinated and grown for two years before planting outdoors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Having been on this tour, it is amazing to me that people ever figured out how to turn coffee beans into food. \u00a0The plant germinates in a green house for two or three years before being planted in the ground. \u00a0The plant is only good for 25 -30 years. \u00a0This coffee plantation pulls out the plant at 25 years and plants a new seedling. \u00a0Of those 25 years, they only get 15 harvests. \u00a0The beans must be hand picked, because the beans ripen at different rates. \u00a0Our guide said that the pickers might visit the same plant 15-20 times during the six-week harvest season. \u00a0Then the bean goes through a six or seven step process in which the various layers are removed to reveal what we know as the coffee bean, which is then roasted. \u00a0The roasting time determines the flavor of the coffee. \u00a0Our guide asserted that light roast provides the best, non-bitter, non-burnt taste. \u00a0She also said that longer roasting times, such as “dark roast,” does little to make the coffee stronger, despite popular misconception, while giving the coffee more of a bitter taste. \u00a0Except for Sam, none of us are coffee drinkers, so we found this presentation and tour interesting, but not overly so.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The flower on a coffee plant that eventually turns into a bean<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Sam<\/a>
Sam walking through a coffee field. Note the branch full of unripe beans in the foreground.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This particular plantation is small. \u00a0They only sell to the US via internet sales. \u00a0The major coffee brands in the US only buy from large plantations. \u00a0I tried a cup of the light roast at the end of the tour. \u00a0I still don’t like coffee, but the Don Juan light roast was less terrible than other coffee I have tried.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/a>
Our guide showing us how the beans are sun dried for maximum flavor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next step of the tour was showing how sugar cane is pressed to create a sugary water. \u00a0This sugary water can then be processed into sugar. \u00a0In this part of the country, most of the sugar cane is processed into rum.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/a>
Our guide showing us what cacao looks like before processing<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By far the most interesting portion of the tour was the discussion of cacao. \u00a0The cacao pod was surprising. \u00a0When our guide cut the pod open, what came out looked like meat. \u00a0Tom commented that if he had seen this before ever seeing chocolate, he might not have ever eaten chocolate. \u00a0The meat-like stuff you can see in the picture is peeled and processed into the cacao nut. \u00a0This nut is then roasted. \u00a0The nut is often then processed to separate the cacao powder from the butter. \u00a0The butter is used in cosmetics, generally. \u00a0The powder is then used to make chocolate. \u00a0Our guide talked about how you have to look at the label to make sure that the chocolate has a lot of cacao in it and is not adulterated with “chocolate flavors” and other additives. \u00a0Apparently the pure cacao has many health benefits. \u00a0the good stuff is 90 something percent cacao with a little of the cacao butter added back.<\/p>\n

\"Our<\/a>
Our guide gave a terrific presentation on how cacao becomes chocolate and let us sample chocolate the way it was consumed by Aztecs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She mixed the cacao a few different ways for us. \u00a0The Aztecs thought this was the food of the gods. \u00a0Sugar cane and coffee are not indigenous to this part of the world, so the Aztecs did not mix the cacao with sugar. \u00a0They mixed it with chili powder and perhaps cinnamon. \u00a0This mixture was then stirred into hot water. \u00a0Because the pure cacao has a number of health benefits, the Aztecs felt stronger and satisfied. \u00a0We tried it this way. \u00a0It was really good! \u00a0Then she mixed in a little brown sugar from their sugar cane, and this mixture was terrific. \u00a0During this portion of the tour, she showed us a number of ways that the cacao is processed and used. \u00a0I found this portion of the tour the most interesting — plus, we got to sample stuff!<\/p>\n

\"Riding<\/a>
Riding an ox cart that would have been used to transport coffee in the old days<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the tour was over, we rode in a traditional Costa Rican ox cart back to the mandatory gift shop. \u00a0The ox cart, originally from Europe, probably Italy, holds a special place in Costa Rican culture. \u00a0It was the first major transportation system that brought coffee from the mountains to the coast. \u00a0Costa Rica was exporting coffee before it was an independent country. \u00a0Each cart is individually painted and is a work of art in its own way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A ficus tree in the forest near our cabins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following the coffee tour, we set out on a hike along a trail on the grounds of our cabins. \u00a0The Cabinas Capulin is also a working farm, so along the trail there were some parts of the farm to view.<\/p>\n

\"Sam<\/a>
Sam demonstrated her lack of balance during our hike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It has rained every afternoon since our arrival, so the ground was slippery. \u00a0Sam’s stumbling and near falls were very funny.<\/p>\n

\"We<\/a>
We found this sign very funny. Is this tomato divided by chicken? Tomato or chicken? Why can't they tell the difference between a tomato and a chicken?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The trail was well marked. \u00a0We weren’t very quiet during our walk, so we didn’t see any wildlife. \u00a0There was one point where we heard a lot of birds in a distant tree being quite loud, but we never saw the birds.<\/p>\n

\"Cows<\/a>
Cows on the working farm owned by the folks who run our cabins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A<\/a>
A swing at a scenic overlook during our hike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There seem to be very few flying, biting insects in this area. \u00a0We were wandering through the cloud forest without applying any bug repellant, and we were never bothered by mosquitos, flies, or other insects.<\/p>\n

\"Grilled<\/a>
Grilled cheese in our cabin for a relaxing lunch while watching a movie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Upon our return from our hike, Tom and I played with the frisbee for an hour, and then I made grilled cheese sandwiches on the hot plate in our cabin. \u00a0We then spent a relaxing afternoon reading and taking a siesta in our cabins.<\/p>\n

This was the only afternoon \/ evening since we arrived without torrential rain. \u00a0We took advantage of this clear weather to book a night nature walk through the forest with a guide. \u00a0Armed with flashlights, we ventured into the forest. \u00a0We saw a sloth, some snakes, a few sleeping birds, and some interesting nocturnal insects. \u00a0It was a little pricey for what we saw, but it was worth doing once.<\/p>\n

\"If<\/a>
If you look closely, you can see the back of a sloth preening himself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We returned to our cabin to snack on some popcorn and relax before bed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On this day, we were on our own in Monte Verde without our guide, Orlando. \u00a0We began with another terrific breakfast, provided in the reception area of Cabinas Capulin before setting out for the Don Juan coffee and cacao tour. \u00a0The Don Juan tour was billed as “three tours in one:” coffee, sugar cane, and … Continue reading Costa Rica, 12 June 2016<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5220"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5220\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bucksurdu.com\/bucksblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}