Coffee for a Caffeine addict

Quito, Ecuador---I thought Italy was the only place in the world where the coffee made you feel like Starbucks was a joke. And I love Starbucks and rarely joke about it. But then came Panama. I discovered the same aroma bliss I had when I opened a bag in Italy. And then came Ecuador, actually the coffee grown in the Galapagos, did the same thing. What’s going on? There is another world of coffee out here that I didn't realize?


Actually both areas are just now becoming more exposed for their coffee. Panama first, winning several "cupping competitions."

Boquete coffees from the Chirqui district, ones from small family-owned farms that produce the truly distinct, unique coffees, this I'm told by the Captain's friend who is staying in Panama and who went through the canal with us. He tells me it is THE coffee I should look for and take as much as I can possibly fit in my bags home with me! Research online also informs me that they employ N'gbe Indians for the picking season, who will come to the coffee farms to work under some of the best wage standards and work laws in Central America.

Then later in the Galapagos, I try some of their local brew, only to discover more liquid treasure. Although I do not see the local Ecuadorians embracing coffee in their culture like we do, they produce some great beans. And as my only vise, this caffeine addict loves it!