i Patrick W. Staib Anthropology This dissertation is approved, and it ...

The beans turn from a pale green to a lighter tan. It is a subtle distinction, especially to
untrained eyes, but after time I too could tell when the coffee was dry enough to take to
the coop.
Many tradicional growers dry their coffee on black plastic tarps. 60 During the
harvest the sidewalks and curbsides in San Juan are covered with coffee drying on black
plastic. This practice is discouraged for specialty export production because the lack of
airflow affects the taste. The plastic leaves a moldy, or mildewed, scent on the coffee.
Another important element that farmers must consider is transporting their coffee
to the place that markets the coffee, whether the cooperative, an exporter, or a coyote
(broker). Farmers assume the cost of transport to their coop. In addition, exporters deduct
the cost of shipping, insurance, and storage from the amount paid to the farmers.
Quality control begins months or years prior to harvesting cherries from the plant.
Farmers must attend to the productivity of their plants by regulating shade, amending
soil, controlling plant illness, and reducing damage to plant tissue. They must train and
compensate skilled coffee-pickers to select only uvas at their peak ripeness (Figure 3)—
“solo el rojito (only the little red ones),” as coffee manuals state. Picking overripe or
green uvas will affect overall quality. Through coffee cupping, 61 farmers can acquire a
60 Tradicional refers to a grower who uses neither conventional nor organic methods.
Usually, they do not employ any technologies to increase yield or mitigate pests or
disease. Some may have acquired land already planted in coffee. These growers tend to
harvest whatever they can and sell it on the street.
61 Cupping, or catación, is a process in which the appearance of green coffee is evaluated
prior to roasting. The cupper then roasts, grinds, and brews a batch, or batches, and
conducts a ritual of quaffing, slurping, and spitting in order to rate the characteristics of
each batch. Similar to wine tasting, coffee cupping provides exporters and buyers a scale
with which to evaluate the value and merit of coffee varieties and regions of production.
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