Spring Break, Coffee, and Honey ♥

“I never knew of a morning in Africa

when I woke up that I was not happy.”

~Ernest Hemingway

Last week was Spring Break here, so I was flooded with visitors! I think there were about 20 volunteers who made it to Kpalime at some point over the last week. It was great to see everyone and to catch up. I love living in a place where people like to come for their little vacations, because then I get to hang out and have fun without the hassle of traveling or living out of a backpack.

It was good to go out with friends and eat at the restaurants in Kpalime. Even though I live here, I have to admit that I don’t eat out a lot, because it's expensive, and I don’t like walking alone at night here. 

On Monday I made another trip up to Café Kuma with a friend. We enjoyed coffee-tasting and a guided tour with Kodzo, the owner. This activity never gets old for me, because it’s so refreshing to be up in the beautiful mountains and I LOVE COFFEE. This time I actually got to see a little bit of the process of how the coffee beans are shelled using a mill that takes off the shell and leaves the coffee bean intact. Then the beans are roasted and either packaged whole or ground. 

robusta coffee

Kodzo also makes the BEST honey in Togo. Most honey here is different than what I am used to. It’s really thick and has a dark color to it, like molasses. However, Kodzo’s honey is different. It’s not thick and dark, but thin and a lighter color, just like honey back home. On this trip up I asked him why,  and he explained that it has to do with the types of pollen and trees the bees pollinate. Up at Kuma there are lots and lots of different types of trees. It’s like a jungle up there. In other parts of the country, especially up north, the landscape is more sparse. When the bees don’t have a variety of plants and trees to pollinate, it makes the honey a darker color.