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Goshen College

Chocolate or coffee? —Yes, both!

February 4, 2024

While in Mindo, we visited Quetzal Mindo, a chocolate shop, garden, and tasting tour. Sergio, our Portuguese guide —whose Spanish is better than my Portuguese— explained that cocoa harvesting originated in what now is Ecuador, but it was mostly used as currency. The pod made it to what now is Mexico where people fermented, dried, roasted, and ground the beans into a paste. The paste was then mixed with hot water and chiles and enjoyed as xocolatl, a luxurious beverage. When Europeans learned about it, they took cacao beans and xocolatl paste back to their homeland, but lacking in spice —they probably had hot water though— mixed it with milk and sugar, thus xocolatl became chocolate and the world changed.

Sergio had the group taste cocoa in various forms and combinations, from raw beans, to 100% chocolate paste, to semisweet chocolate mixed with coffee, fruits, nuts, or spices. Student had specific reactions to each moment of the testing menu.
“The other guide” showing us the process of drying cocoa beans after fermentation.
Cacao is actually a fruit…
…not unlike our lovely students.
Other products are used in the confection of chocolate, like macadamia nuts.
Yes, nuts are required in the process.
A great cultivating environment, careful processing, and highly controlled conditions produce great chocolate and interest.
¿Chocolate?
¡Sí, pooooor favooooooooor!

After leaving Mindo, we made a short but incredibly interesting stop in Nanegalito, a small town about an hour from Quito, where Cloud Coffee Farm produces delicious coffee and welcomes visitors. Klever —Yes, our Klever— is one of the partners at this coffee growing farm. Before we got there, we went through a  neighboring hummingbird refuge that attracts bird watchers and Disney princesses from all over the world.

Sugar attracts hummingbirds, hummingbirds attract bird watchers and students.
Come little birds, I got treats for you.
Sweet!
Awww!
Pixar or Disney?
Disney or Pixar?
Phones don’t attract as many birds.
More birds with humans.
Hummingbirds may not like the citrus we found, but students conducted experiential research to determine exactly what kind it was.
A Disney moment!

Video of THE Disney moment!

After a few Disney and citrus moments, we proceeded to the coffee farm where we learned about growing and processing the seed —or bean, if you want— that produces such a delightful beverage at Cloud Coffee Farm or Café de las nubes.

It looks like a Time Machine, but it is much better.
Students listened attentively to the coffee lecture.
“Green” preroasted coffee: this is the bees sneeze!
The conversation became philosophical
Very philosophical
We also found a hummingbird’s nest!
“The nest is sooo tiny!”
Cloud Coffee Farm is flanked by a clear water river.
The water was nice to splash around but a little to cool for a dive.
Walking and poising for the camera.
This is as far as the river let us walk without getting too wet and muddy.
After all that craving, our prayers were answered: coffee and deep conversations were had.

At the end of the tour and explanation, we had some delicious coffee.