COFFEE

"Stressed, blessed and coffee obsessed."  

Most of the world's coffee is grown and harvested along what is called The Bean Belt...along the Equator.   According to the International Coffee Organization, Brazil produces about one-third of the world's supply.  That's twice as much as Vietnam, the second-place holder.

Coffee Flowers

Coffee flowers have a heavenly fragrance, but not like coffee.  At one time coffee was botanically misclassified in the same family as jasmine.  It's no wonder, 'cuz the two flowers have a similar scent when in full bloom.  Jasmine happens to be my second favorite fragrance after gardenia.

Coffee Cherries

The coffee plant produces cherries ranging from green to reds to yellow.  The coffee "bean" is really the seed of the cherry.  Coffee berries are picked when they're deep red.  

The cherries are then pulped to separate the beans, which are then dried and roasted.  The cherries are a trendy new super food that's used in supplements, juices and herbal teas.  Cascara, a/k/a coffee cherry tea, is an infusion of dried coffee cherry pulp.

 

Coffee has been a mainstay all my life.  Straight up, black and strong.  My maternal gramma shared her cups of coffee with me when I was about seven years old.  In my childhood mind, it represented a blessed ritual that I wanted to always hold onto.  And, I have.  

"My birthstone is a coffee bean."