I live in Chiriqui close to the Costa Rica border at a high altitude…lots of coffee…This area is the bread basket of Panama…lots of small fincas growing all sorts of veg. Ie, onions ,papas,broccoli etc…the fruit is exellent especially the oranges here…
The National dish is Sonconcho a chicken soup preferably made with a cockerel. It’s delicious usually served with a bowl of white rice…another fav is Mondongo a soup made from tripe and other offal …fu**ing minging.
Seafood is plentiful and there Prawns are yummy and usually around $5 a pound.
I posted a picture of another one that is usually sold by street vendors.
Souse. Cows heel. Not for the faint hearted.to lik cows heel picked in lemon juice ,served with cucumber and cilantro.
Edit…I forgot Cervche …I love it…my fav is pulpy…but also they do it with sea bass, prawns etc.
Here In Chiriqui everybody drinks coffee.supermarkets, panaderias …little shops.and street venders all sell coffee. Usually below a dollar.
Some ex pats here have tried the Latte, Mocho stuff , opening fancy cafes …charging around $5 a cup …most have failed …the locals just don’t have that kind of money.
For me it’s those things, medium ground, medium roast, splash of cream.
I love the kettle and beehouse dripper. I wish I had a better grinder, but it’s like the goldfish that won’t die at this point. I don’t buy new shit then the old stuff still works anymore. It’ll teach me a lesson to buy a nicer one next time.
I’ve also had a v60, French press and aeropress, but the beehouse has become my old faithful.
I generally make flask coffee from organic whole roasted beans ground to a #23 with my conical burr grinder, but I’ve tried everything from countertop drip machines to high end espresso makers to french presses, percolators, and pourovers. Even stovetop espresso makers. I’ve stuck with the chemex flasks since they make my favorite cup no matter the beans.
Today I mix half caffeinated and half swiss water decaf so I don’t get too much caffeine. I’m pretty sensitive to almost everything, and full strength is too much for me despite only drinking about 20oz of coffee a day.
My beans come from www.freshroastedcoffee.com and my buddy’s new coffee roasterie www.levitocoffee.com. I get 5lbs of light roast organic fair trade freshroastecoffee stuff for about $7/lb delivered and it’s exceptional. The El Salvadorean is a great one. The Huehuetenango is another exceptional roast. I also like the Sidamo. From Levito, their Rum Infused is the most delicious flavored coffee I’ve ever had, bar none.
No matter what I get, it gets immediately put in sealed 1/2gal mason jars as soon as I get it, then put in my cold cannabis curing cupboard, where it stays 60-65F. I only take out enough to use for the week, and grind it per use every morning.
These days I use Coffee Socks instead of paper filters, since it’s impossible to find organic unbleached paper filters. The Coffee Socks are a little more hassle, but they make a good cup and I’ve had mine for over a year with no big complaints.
The beans on my Kona Coffee tree are getting red. I may have enough for a pot this year! Have only gotten 4-8 beans the last few years. Will need to figure out how to process and roast!
Ahh!! the old reliable Bonavita electric kettle. I think I’ve seen a timer feature on a version or that version of kettle. @lefthandseeds
Generally, I would order an espresso or cappuccino at a coffee shop, since those I cannot make here at home properly. So a machine like an espresso would be something I’d invest in eventually. I, like you, jus stick tot he Chemex. Well… I have the Hario, which is similar. @nube
That’s cool! Where are you located to have a coffee tree growing? @Comacus
I brew using RO water with a few drops of trace minerals added, and generally prefer light roast, single origin Ethiopian beans.
I used to love the 1000 calories mochas but drink it black since I was diagnosed as diabetic.
I no longer own a drip machine. I have an Aeropress that I take camping. My French presses are relegated to making cold brew.
My girlfriend has a nice espresso maker at her place. I started shopping for one but got sticker shock - especially when I realized I needed to spend even more on the grinder than the machine! Maybe some day. I do enjoy a quad shot of bitter espresso.
i buy single origin freshly light roasted whole bean coffee, hand grind it course just before use with a burr grinder, brew in a French press using RO water usually at around 20 grams - 240 grams
This is why I love the Brewista Ratio:scale, since it does the ratio for me on weight for coffee. Then telling me how much water to pour and what rate to do it, has a timer on it. Crazy good scale to learn the method and pour consistency over time.
