Just when you thought the Atlantic Highlands summer camp couldn’t get any better, the kids took a short walk to Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters and learned more than they thought possible about coffee.
It was a joint venture of local businessman Steven Almante, owner of Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters , on First Avenue, the local Police Department who ensured a safe walking journey from the elementary school to the West Garfield Avenue entrance to Coffee Roasters, and Camp Director Meg Fisher and her staff who escorted the youngsters in groups of 20 to 30 to learn from Almonte, an expert on coffee as well as an animated teacher of the science behind growing.
The youngsters got to see and hold the actual coffee beans used in roasting, and see and hear the huge spotlessly clean ovens in which they’re ground and roasted. They learned the process of why the little green seeds that are the coffee beans turn brown, sniffed how they smell, and viewed the massive map on the wall that showed where the coffees come from, places ranging from Central and South America Africa and Indonesia where the name Java for coffee originated honoring the island from whence coffee has been grown.
Almante pointed out on the map the areas from where the many varieties of high-quality coffee beans are exported for Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters, highlighting not only the distance the beans have come but also their means of transportation by ship and truck. The campers saw the live coffee tree in the shop which Almante said gets red blossoms that can also be eaten, but stressed it is the seeds of the tree that make coffee.
In response to animated questions from the campers, the shop owner cited the similarities between tea bags and loose coffee in creating taste and color, displayed the barrels in which the ground coffee is kept before being packed in the white bags for purchase by the pound, and pointed out the green leaves of the coffee plant are from the energy of the sun.
Almante also let the campers select one of four different black and white pictures he had made of people and places relative to Fair Mountain Coffee Roasters and encouraged them each to take them home and color them. Once finished, he told them they could come back with their colored picture and their parent and guardian and give him back the coloring. In return, he promised them, he would treat their parent to a cup of coffee and the youngster to a cup of the shop’s very special hot chocolate.
coffee
Rainy day is loved by almost everyone I know. I especially am fond of rainy days. While I hold several special memories of rainy days and rainy season, there is one such memory that is very close to my heart. My Experience of a Rainy Day It was a cloudy morning. We could hear the sound of thunder and lightning since mid night and heavy rain was expected during the day. It was the kind of day we all long for and going to school is the last thing we would like to do on such a day. Playing in the rain with my siblings and friends from neighbours, rowing boats and eating yummy pakodas made by my mother is what I love to do on such a day. However, it was a week day and we had to go to the school. So, despite the beautiful cloudy sky and the cool breeze, we did what we did on a usual week day. We got ready, packed our school bags, had our breakfast and headed to the car with our mother who drops us to school every day. We witnessed slight drizzle from the car window. I so wanted to open the window but did not for the fear it would wet my uniform and school bag. As we drove, I noticed my mother taking a different route. It was not the one we usually took. I thought she may have taken this route to avoid water clogging or road block.However, I soon saw that we were going in a completely different direction and before I could ask my mother about it, I saw her parking the car near our preferred picnic spot. I looked at her and my siblings sitting at the back seat and a wide smile lit on our faces. We were super thrilled. This was the best thing to have happened to me in a long while.We got drenched in the rain, rowed boats and played football. When it began to rain heavily, we took shelter in the beautiful gazebo located at the picnic spot. We also had delicious foods that were being sold there. The view from the gazebo was simply awesome. We sat there looking at the rain-drenched flowers and trees as we sipped hot coffee and ate delicious foods. Conclusion It was one of the best days of my life. I thank my mom for giving us such a wonderful rainy day memory to cherish forever
