Romancing The Bean: Chronicles of a Coffee Snob In Panama

Romancing the Bean: Chronicles of a Coffee Snob in Panama...a light-hearted look at one of the world's most traded commodities by a neophyte coffee farmer in the highlands of Panama.

Follow the beans of Cafe Mariposa Azul from Finca Luz in Boquete, Panama to the breakfast cup. Discover the intricacies and intrigues of specialty coffee—what makes it special, or not. Learn about the challenges faced by small and large coffee farmers. Explore cupping, the ritual of slurping, sipping and spitting that yields solemn pronouncements like: Fruity, with hints of vanilla and hazelnut over a layer of chocolate. (And yes, we ARE talking about coffee—not wine or a luxe dessert!). From field to cup, the journey coffee takes to get to your table is complex and fraught with difficulties. It's frankly amazing that anyone, anywhere, can afford it!

Romancing the Bean is the real life adventure into the world of coffee taken by a woman from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, where her mother still drinks instant coffee. If nothing else, you will learn why: Robusta sucks!