“ There is an awful lot of coffee in Brazil……”The Coffee Song of 1976″ by Osibisa (YouTube) springs to mind as I am in the starting blocks of my latest story. Yes, after 2 wonderful, freshly brewed, cups of coffee. Beans from…..no, now I need to back up….

We, my darling Dave and myself moved from Sint Maarten to Saint Lucia. We had our container, oh that is certainly another story, and our papers etc….but the coffee was not that easy. Strange when you think that on Saint Lucia, there used to be a few coffee plantations that produced some of the best coffee in the world. Having lived on SXM (St. Martin) for 12 years we were used to getting what we wanted, when we wanted as long as you flash the cash. It is a little different here on Belle Helene, Saint Lucia. It is more like: do not make a shopping list but see what is available and improvise. For me that is a fantastic way to shop since the produce here is fresh. I am a chef and it keeps the grey mass sharp trying to come up with ever-changing, exciting and tasty dinners. I realized that I would have to do some research with regards to a few staples and one of them was COFFEE.

Coffee….fresh beans put in the De Longhi machine (which survived “IRMABITCH” by the way), make a wonderful, frothy cup. In the supermarkets here there was not a lot of choice and/or no choice because there simply were NO coffee beans. Yes, the local coffee from the ………..plantation was sold but only ground and at a ridiculous tourist price.

Ok, the large market in Castries and the Farmers Market in Rodney Bay were the next place of attack in the search for coffee beans. Now I was already that far that I realized I might have to roast them myself….no problem amigo….’There is an awful lot of coffee in Brazil’.

Maybe play this song whilst continuing the Coffee Story my friends.

Mighty YouTube had shown me how to roast raw coffee beans so I was ready. At the Saturday Farmers Market I managed to get a little bag of maybe 100 grams of raw, unroasted coffee beans for 10EC. $1,= is 2.60 EC. I was elated and sped homewards to turn on the oven and the laptop, for the YouTube refresher, and put on the…..yep, the Coffee Song to get in the mood for some serious roasting. Well, seriously….I only had a little baggie of beans but it was a start.

Wow, I was THE COFFEE ROASTER that day. I put the freshly roasted beans in the De Longhi and ground them into a nice cup of coffee. Not too bad but it was a trial and the old beans from SXM were mixed in with the Saint Lucia beans to ensure a smooth transition from one bean to the next. Did I mention I am Dutch and we take coffee extremely seriously? I had been smart and got the WhatsApp # from the lady, Bidi, at the Farmers Market to order a larger bag for that Wednesday.

Home I came again with a larger bag of fresh, raw, Saint Lucia coffee beans and I thought I was the absolute “Super Duper Local Know It All Coffee” fiend…..for about 45 minutes. Because when I finished roasting the beans I realized that I had to peel each and every single coffee bean! The Coffee Song did not sound so good anymore. After about 50 or so beans I gave up…I am too young for this shit. Peeling single roasted coffee beans is something you do as therapy which I do not need cuz I do yoga, meditate and swim, ok?! In the trash the roasted beans went. I know, terrible but I was so disillusioned with my coffee bean saga and trying to get it right I had a momentary lapse of reason. Yes, Pink Floyd. No, I did not put on the music but went for a swim instead.

When my head was clear I decided there MUST be a working coffee plantation that I could buy roasted, peeled beans from. Bidi, the Farmers Market lady had happily informed me that coffee beans were only harvested as of November and for a few months. December was the big coffee month. I had visions of whole families sitting together peeling freshly roasted coffee beans whilst singing… yepper…The Coffee Song.

As it turns out, one of our neighbors just bought a 10-acre coffee plantation near Soufriere, the old capital of St. Lucia, right by the Pitons. The coffee plantation is called Le Verrier which was the name of the family that owned the plantation in years past and had at the time, the largest coffee crop on island. We chatted and made an appointment to visit. Great timing since our bestie from City Island, Leigh, was over for one of her visits. The coffee plantation is a large work in progress but it was extremely interesting, from getting there via almost no roads to trudging around the plantation in buildup phase. An architect, engineer and a chef together at the coffee plantation where the owner and son, both engineers and wife, can do anything, had a super time talking, learning, collecting wood from rubber trees and cinnamon bushes, plants, flowers and Shadow Benny and drinking coffee – haha.

Well, turns out that their coffee plants are only 1 year old. Coffee plants need to be 5 years old in order to produce beans so that is a little wait….

So, even though we had an absolute amazing day and a hell-of-a-trip getting back through wild country, I was no further with my Coffee Bean Quest.

Epiphany!!! Yes, Viking Trading, who sells herbs and what not in all Saint Lucia Supermarkets. Viking Trading, who are local. Viking Trading, who after my telephone call came to our house with 5 KG! of FRESHLY ROASTED AND PEELED coffee beans at a very reasonable price. The owners of Viking Traders brought the bags themselves and we are extremely thankful.

We have fresh coffee beans for our coffee machine which makes wonderful coffee each morning. I certainly learned a lot, experienced some and know that these type of quests are fun! LIVING IN THE CARIBBEAN….another song……..for another time……….

Fresh Roasted Coffee Beans in a Calabash bowl

Freshly Roasted and Peeled coffee Beans

Current Rock of Residence:

St. Lucia

Island Girl Since:

2009

Originally Hails From:

All over - Air Force brat but originally Dutch

Honky or Donkey – whichever you prefer – is how you pronounce Ankie, a Dutch nickname chosen for her since her real name is sooo long. Annemarijke was far too difficult to pronounce at roll call on the American Air Force base, Ramstein, in Germany where she grew up. Being an Air Force brat, she was used to moving around. She called Amsterdam home for a long time and operated a bar there (which is where she left a lot of her brain cells). Then, she moved to the north of the Netherlands for a while to operate a small hotel/restaurant. But her move to Sint Maarten, D.W.I. has been something else entirely. Ankie came to SXM to manage a well-known French restaurant for a couple of months in 2007 and moved into Ocean’s on Great Bay Beach….well, the landlord is now her partner and she moved from the 4th floor to the PH. Not bad, eh? But before Ankie and Dave were able to continue their life together, they both had to turn the world upside down (another story for another time). Let’s just say Dave did end up being her “knight in shining armor”. Not on a horse, but in a beat up Nissan Murano… still, it’s the thought that counts, right? So beginning in 2009, Ankie could officially call herself an island girl – just a very green, naive, unknowing, and gullible one. There is nothing that can prepare you for life in the Caribbean… Now, after 7 years, Ankie is a true island girl and loving every minute of it! Swimming is her Zen, cooking her hobby, and her Dave is her sexy rock on the rock. All brown pelicans are called Gerald and anything below 85 degrees is cold. She is known as The Dutch Girl, Queen of Ocean’s, or Duchess when she rides her Dutch-made bicycle along the boardwalk at terrifying speeds. Managing their Ocean’s condos, working as location manager for Flavors of St. Martin Food tours and senior epicurean guide keeps her in tune with her ROCK. After 12 years on SXM Ankie and Dave moved to a larger Rock….St. Lucia! Officially retired, married to her Dave and working on their project Jasdip. The magic inside-outside house! No more bicycles but back to riding horses. St. Lucia has the most amazing selection of food of  which many are healing and a whole new, massive door has opened for me to explore making teas, toothpaste and cooking fusion SLU. Many new stories in the making about this wonderful Belle Helene and getting older and hopefully wiser! Stay tuned!

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