So you want to join the Peace Corps?

While Ecuadorians do drink coffee, it seems they would rather have instant coffee such as Nescafé instead of a cup of freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee. It is somewhat strange considering that Ecuador produces a lot of quality coffee beans in almost every region of the country. I am not sure if it is the culture, the cost, the convenience, or the taste of fresh coffee, but it drove me crazy for the first year in Ecuador not being able to have some good coffee in the morning unless I went to a touristy or more expensive restaurant in Quito or Otavalo. Thankfully, my parents saved me by first sending me a coffee grinder and then bringing down a small coffee maker (an Aeropress, highly recommended) when they visited. Now, I’m able to grind my own Ecuadorian coffee and brew it immediately. My host family, of course, looks at me like I’m insane and even though I have offered many times and they have tried my coffee many times I just can’t get them to appreciate the difference. It is the little things that make a difference here in the Peace Corps for me. I’m not lying when I say that the first thing I think about in the morning is grinding and making some fresh coffee, which takes about 20 minutes total.

Prior to obtaining all my coffee making tools, I had been forced to drink instant coffee (or the Starbucks Via packets my family sent me in the mail) in my house. But whenever I traveled to Otavalo, I always made sure to stop by the local coffee shop and have some “real” coffee. Since Otavalo is such a huge tourist destination, the local businesses that cater to tourists have learned that foreigners prefer brewed coffee over instant coffee. A coffee association, named Rio Intag, located about 2 hours west of Quito in the Andean cloud forest region of Intag appears to have taken this market for their own. Their coffee can be found in many of the stores and in all of the supermarkets. In many of the restaurants, you will see some Rio Intag coffee for purchase either ground, whole bean, or available to buy by the cup.

I’m happy to purchase this coffee as it is cheap ($6 a pound), organic, delicious, freshly roasted in a light, medium and espresso roast, and easily obtainable. I’m also happy to support an association of Ecuadorian farmers who have come together to form an environmentally responsible business that economically benefits 400 families in the Intag region. If you can read Spanish, the association has a website here: www.aacri.com. I have also attached a few photos of the bagged coffee, the first is the coffee packaged for local consumption and the second is the coffee packaged for export. The association exports to many regions around the world including Europe, North America, and Asia.

Here is a brief description of their coffee, translated from their website:

High Altitude, Shade Grown Café Arabica: “Our coffee is produced at an altitude above 1500meters above sea level. This gives the coffee an excellent quality, intense acidity, very good flavor, exquisite aroma and a good body.

The coffee farms of our associates are located between 600 meters and 2100 meters above sea level. The Rio Intag basin has been coffee producing for more than a century, and now, the tradition has been renewed on more than 134 hectares cultivating organically.”

Lastly, if you’re ever in Otavalo, stop by either Casa Intag or Salinerito. The first is a coffee shop that promotes crafts and the coffee from the Intag region and the second is a sandwich shop that promotes Ecuadorian products such as the Rio Intag coffee and cheeses and cured meats from the Salinas de Guaranda region of Ecuador.