When it comes to quality, three essential characteristics must work together harmoniously to create great espresso: acidity, sweetness, and bitterness.
I’ve been captured by the allure of one of the last standing bastions of potential for specialty coffee production left in the world. I write this as I travel across the world for a second visit to the eastern shore of Lake Kivu in the DRC in less than a year.
As I cross the Atlantic Ocean on the beginnings of a 36-hour journey to eastern DR Congo, I struggle to find an easily digestible way to explain why I am looking forward to going to one of the most dangerous places in the world. There is just so much to say.
I cannot fully portray the spirit of these amazing women. They have all been through so much; the older women who carved a path to a better future for the next generations were so selfless. Some lost husbands, others were verbally abused by men and other women in the community, but they knew that a woman's place is not just in a home. They knew that they did not have to rely on men for their livelihood. With the help from La Fem, this cooperative of women grew strong and fought for what they saw was right.
