COFFEE!

After discussing with my Tica mom about coffee and noticing her daily routine, which involves coffee twice a day, I realized that coffee was a very important beverage in my family. She told me that many families, like ours, drink coffee at breakfast and most of the time in the late afternoon with some sort of snack, like slices of a baguette or crackers. Everyone in my family besides my older sister and my two young nephews enjoy coffee greatly. My Tica mom prepares it with the traditional coffeemaker, el chorreador, and heats the water on the stove. She says it’s the only way to get the best coffee (and I believe her!). Serving it with milk and sugar is a normal practice, but I found it interesting that she heats up the mug and milk before pouring in the coffee. I told her that I used to drink coffee at night in high school and she then offered to make some for me right then, stating that she was always in the mood for coffee!

            When I asked the question of when coffee was introduced to children, it didn’t seem as important to my Tica mom as the previous questions. She described coffee as becoming an acquired taste that you get over time because it is often drunk during a time of socialization or to give you more energy in the morning for your day. My Tico brother told me that he started drinking coffee when he was around 13 years old because after school he used to go to his grandmother’s house next door, where coffee was being served while watching an afternoon soap opera. He said he started drinking coffee because it was very conversational and important for him to socialize with his grandmother. This was the exact opposite reason for how I started drinking coffee. I started in high school because I felt like I had to in order to stay awake at school. I didn’t even like the taste at first, but because I had heard that it keeps people awake, I decided I needed to start liking it.

            The value in the tradition of drinking coffee can be seen in my family, as it was described in the reading for this week. My Tica family views coffee as a chance for social interaction and pleasure than for a “pick-me-up” and energy, which is what it is commonly used for in the states. The reading discussed a lot the role of coffeehouses all over the world and how they fueled many social changes and while there are only a few coffee shops close by, most coffee drinking is done within the home. However, the conversations are still created and thoughts are still provoked through coffee drinking. Whenever we have relatives or guests over in the afternoons, coffee is always served. In my opinion in the household, coffee goes “hand-in-hand” with socializing. However, it is still seen as a typical morning drink that helps you to wake up and have a more energetic day.

            To me, this is a little hard to process, because in the United States coffee is viewed differently and is seen everywhere. I think in the States there is a mix between coffee becoming a popular trend, causing everyone to want coffee, and coffee being a major source of energy to the point of addiction. The very popular example of Starbucks provides coffee at almost all hours of the day in multiple forms. Coffee is not often made in the afternoons in the States. Most homes make coffee for breakfast in coffee pots and probably have coffee makers at work for later on in the morning. Places like Starbucks have just embellished coffee to make it desirable and a popular aspect of our culture. However, there are some local coffee shops today that, I believe, strive to serve as places for social interactions partnered with coffee. I think Starbucks and other coffee shops serve as great locations for debates and collaboration, but not as much as coffee shops used to. A major difference I see is the location of the social interactions that coffee creates. In Costa Rica, it is more common to have coffee at home, while in the States a coffee shop is more popular to go to for coffee and socializing.

            In my opinion Costa Rica is very proud of its coffee. Coffee is sold at any supermarket, as well as any coffee shop. But it is interesting that some people still use the chorreador and there are coffee plantation tours that the country advertises. In any tourist/souvenir shop here, you can buy a chorreador to actually use or just as an ornament. This points out the importance of coffee in Costa Rica’s culture, seeing that I have coffee made by a chorreador every morning. I absolutely love my family’s traditional coffeemaker and I think it says a lot about how important it is to my family. Not only does it make good coffee, but also it represents the tradition within Costa Rica and the value Costa Ricans have for the social interactions that drinking coffee creates.

    I was unable to take a picture of my Tica mom’s chorreador in time to post the blog, but here is the coffee maker at Mesoamerica! Also, below is a Macchiato from a local coffee shop in Sabanilla called Caffe Biscotti.