jonathan

BOGOTÁ, Colombia, May 28 - Colombia may assert proudly that it grows
the world's best coffee, but Eva Celeita knows that most of her fellow
Colombians do not know how to brew a decent cup.

On a recent morning, standing next to an overhead projector at the
National Federation of Coffee Growers, Ms. Celeita carefully explained
how to make espresso to a group of young baristas embarking on careers
as counter clerks making everything from cappuccinos to mochas to
frozen coffee drinks at the federation's new franchise, Juan Valdez
cafes.

Ms. Celeita, who oversees quality control for the cafes, is helping
lead a federation effort to urge Colombians to drink more of their own
coffee and, in the process, help extricate the country's troubled
coffee industry from its doldrums. This summer, as part of that
broader effort, it will open its first Juan Valdez cafe in the United
States.

"Colombian coffee is the smoothest in the world," Ms. Celeita said,
"but what does that matter if it comes out too bitter, or if it comes
out with no taste at all?" She then explained how everything from the
cleanliness of the machine to the temperature of the water helps
determine the quality of a cup of coffee.


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/29/bu...partner=GOOGLE