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the co-op chairman, was about as self-sufficient, food-wise, as one would find at a farmers market here in the United States. The coffee trees are shaded by banana and mango trees, which keeps the ground cool and the moisture in the soil. I loved the sign on his farm that read, "Organic Power Plant." One cow's manure will fertilize 1,000 coffee trees per year, and the urine tea provides nitrogen. There is no waste here. Plus, they have milk and cheese for the family. Organic Power Plant indeed! Robusta coffee is dry-processed. The cherries are put out in the sun to dry, and over the course of several days, their red skin wrinkles and turns dark brown. Fredrick had some recent pickings drying on a plastic mat when we arrived, and about another 25 pounds of ripe cherries ready for sun drying with the pulp still on the cherry. I took a deep whiff of the hulled and finished coffee that was taken from the paper bag next to the sack of cherries. The beans were clean and sweet smelling, which foretold, I hoped, a bright future in the cup. When I congratulated the farmers on a job well done, Moses (the Community's political leader) and the farmers were happy campers. This is because last year, the sample brought back to me was dirty and moldy, so I rejected it and sent recommendations for the next harvest season. Our visit was timed perfectly, because we arrived to see another potential disaster averted. On another mat, the black drying cher- ries had a white mold softly covering the skins—the cherries had been allowed to dry too slowly. They were probably not covered at night and the morning dew promoted the mold growth. As luck would have it, there was a fresher lot to the right on the same mat and it was mold free. The lessons were there to be learned—all it took was a smell test and everyone knew what was needed, especially when I told them that the moldy smell was just a smell, but could they imagine drinking a coffee that tasted moldy? The batch was separated and the potential for the co-op's coffees has been improved. I agreed to purchase the clean Robusta coffee and I became the co-op's first inter- national buyer. Later that day, the farmers met under a giant mango tree that had just produced over 1,000 pounds of ripe mangoes and was beginning to flower for next year's fruit. In the shade of the tree, people drummed, danced, and celebrated. I could feel the rhythms vibrate my body and I was moved to dance, but I just couldn't get in there with them. I felt the beat but didn't feel I had the moves to keep up. When we left Jinja, Nick and I felt that our trip had an aus- picious beginning. We had a two-pound sample of a beautifully prepared organic Robusta which we hoped to cup when we got Above: A celebration taking place under a giant mango tree. Opposite page: The welcome sign for the Peace Kawomera cooperative. 38 barista magazine B o o k 1 - 4 6 . i n d d 3 8 Book 1-46.indd 38 5 / 1 5 / 1 4 1 0 : 3 1 P M 5/15/14 10:31 PM