In late January I left frozen North Carolina to visit a coffee plantation in balmy San Ramón Nicaragua. The contrast in weather was welcome, but shocking nonetheless. Café Helios’ coffee roaster, Counter Culture Coffee, offers a week long “Origins Field Lab” where one learns first hand how that bright red cherry becomes the dark brown treat so many of us adore.
Our group of nine consisted of cafe managers and owners. We stayed at Finca Esperanza Verde, a lush coffee plantation and nature preserve. The coffee farm was abandoned until 1997 when it was purchased and renovated by Sister Communities of San Ramón, Nicaragua. After producing coffee for several years the Sister Communities had funds to build an ecolodge. The lodge consists of several cabins that utilize solar panels for electricity and solar heated water. Most of the food and drink prepared on the farm is grown in gardens on site. It’s called ecotourism for a reason, all of the income stays in San Ramón providing a sustainable source of income for the indigenous people and money to improve the area through special projects.
From the Finca Esperanza Verde website:
My five days on the farm were as much a joy as they were eye-opening. I picked coffee cherries for four hours straight and ended up with a bag that weighed a meager 15 pounds. An incredible amount of work is involved in every step from picking, the wet mill, the dry mill, drying, sorting, re-sorting and so on. The amount of expertise, labor, and dedication involved is mind boggling. I learned a great deal about the coffee industry and the culture surrounding it, but I’m surprised at how much I learned about passion and dedication. The people of Nicaragua’s coffee industry perform an amazing feat, a feat that would be nearly impossible without the dedication and passion that I witnessed in nearly everyone I met.
The images displayed depict the process, the culture, and the people that work together to produce a product that many of us may take for granted. Personally, I’m proud to manage a Cafe that considers field education and research a vital part of its business model. - Ian F.G. Dunn
To see more of Ian’s photos visit his Flickr site.
The helios bloody mary made with house “gazpacho” mix is just one of several new spirits we have developed for our new menu.
See it here.
Thank you to all of our loyal customers for putting up with our current renovations. We hope that construction will be completed next week so that we can roll out our new menu which includes some old favorites.
This is what we have in store for the season:
Breakfast (Served from 7a.m. to 11a.m.)
House Granola. 4
Greek Style Yogurt. 3
Sourdough or Multi-Grain Toast. 2
Plain or Everything Bagel with Herbed Cream Cheese. 3
English Muffin. 3
Croissant. 3
Tortilla of the Day. 6
Herb and Gruyere Omelette. 5
Papas Bravas. 4
Seasonal Fresh Fruit. 4
House Jam. 1
Breakfast Sandwiches with a choice of bread + three ingredients. 6
Lunch and Dinner (Served from 11:30a.m. to 10p.m. (Friday and Saturday, later))
From The Pantry:
Assortment of Pickles. 3/ 6
changes daily, please inquire
Citrus Scented Olives. 4/ 7
cerignola, picholine, kalamata, nicoise, manzanilla
Assortment of Nuts. 4/ 7
warmed and buttered almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts and brazil nuts. fresh thyme, rosemary
and sage.
Boquerones. 4/ 6
marinated Spanish white anchovy filets
Assortment of Artisanal Cheeses. 10
domestic and imported. please inquire. with quince paste, grapes and warm bread
Assortment of Artisanal Sausages. 11
house-made and imported. please inquire. with grain mustard, cornichons and warm bread
Helios Hummus. 7
with assorted vegetables, harissa, kalamata olives, warmed bread and olive oil
From the Stove:
Wild Mushrooms. 4/ 7
assorted wild mushrooms with thyme, roasted garlic and manchego
French Beans. 4/ 7
garlic and tarragon butter
Merguez Sausage and Chickpeas. 5/ 8
piquillo peppers, roasted eggplant, caramelized shallot
Seared Prawns. 6/ 9
in the shell with sauteed garlic, guindilla peppers, black sea salt
English Pea Ragout. 5/ 8
bacon, white wine, oregano, mint
Grilled Asparagus and Leeks. 5/ 8
romesco sauce, olive oil, sumac
Braised Escarole. 5/ 7
garlic, pine nuts, golden raisins
Braised Pork Shoulder and French Lentils. 5/ 8
apples, grain mustard
Papas Bravas. 4/ 7
spicy roasted yukon potatoes with orange aioli
Baccala Stuffed Piquillo Peppers. 5/ 8
salt cod and potato puree, lemon, olive oil
Salads:
Mixed Greens. 6
fresh herbs, shallot, lemon, olive oil, sea salt
Asparagus and Crab. 7
poached egg, capers, radish, masago, grapefruit
Roasted Beets. 7
arugula, pistachios, orange, fresh goat cheese, orange blossom vinaigrette
Nicoise. 7
house conserved tuna, french beans, nicoise olives, boiled egg, shallot, potatoes, capers, red
wine vinaigrette
Sandwiches. all 7.50 and served with a small mixed green salad or potato chips
(served from 11:30a.m.- 5p.m.)
Serrano Ham and Manchego.
on grilled sourdough, chestnut honey/ creme fraiche
Helios Chicken Salad.
herbed, slow roasted chicken salad, bibb lettuce and tomato on multi-grain bread
Turkey and Avocado
on grilled sourdough with tomato confit, arugula and comte cheese
Braised Pork Shoulder
apricot chutney, shaved fennel, pickled red onion on toasted baguette
Shrimp and Crab Remoulade
capers, red onion, chile flake, aioli and bibb lettuce served open faced on baguette
Cheese Press
comte, hook’s 3yr cheddar and manchego with tomatoes and piquillo peppers on grilled
sourdough