At around 8 am on Friday, we took the beans out of the 15% EA solution, completing their 14-hour soaking cycle. Once removed, the beans were steamed again for another half hour. After steaming, the beans needed to be dried to their ideal moisture content of 10-12%. This drying process, handled by the Chica Bean staff, took about 5 hours in the roaster.
With the drying process in capable hands, there wasn't much for us to do for the rest of the day. We went out for breakfast around 9 am while Dr. Underwood visited Tree 4 Hope Academy to take notes and measurements for a future solar panel project. After breakfast, we strolled around Santa Lucia Milpas Altas to get a feel for the small town.
We needed to return to the roaster by 3:30 pm to start another test and primarily to train the Chica Bean staff, who felt most uncomfortable creating the EA solution. We guided them through all the initial steps, including creating the EA solution, and were there to answer any questions and provide support.
After finishing up around 4:15 pm, we walked back to the Airbnb. I decided to take us to Antigua, the first capital of Guatemala, for a light walk and dinner. Dr. Soerens wanted to try traditional Guatemalan food, so we wandered around until we found a restaurant specializing in various traditional dishes. The food was delicious, and Dr. Soerens even commented that it was one of the best dishes he had ever had.
Our last responsibility at Chica Bean on Saturday morning was to take out the beans from the 26% EA solution (we ran out of EA to reach 30%) and steam/dry them as we did on Friday morning. We wrapped this up around 8 am and then headed back into Antigua. We had breakfast there and enjoyed a 3-hour tour of the town. The history of Antigua, involving both the Spaniards and the Mayans, was fascinating and informative.
For lunch, we ate at Pollo Campero. There's something special about their chicken that’s incomparable to anything in the U.S. We ended the day by visiting local markets to do some shopping.
