Rachida's Best Part of Waking Up...

[Michelle's Empty Nest, The Challenge Whisperer]

The Best Part of Waking Up...
Individual, Self-Pace Challenge
April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2026


Whether you sang, "Folgers in your cup," or another brand, many people would agree that the best part of waking up is a fresh hot, cold brewed, or iced cup of coffee. In this challenge we will look at all things coffee-related. We'll even finish up by taking a look at some delicious recipes for various types of coffee. You'll have lots of time to complete this venti-sized, individual, self-paced challenge. That's right. The Best Part of Waking Up... will brew from April 1, 2024 - March 31, 2026!


This is an individual, self-paced challenge. You will have 4 tasks to choose from for each prompt. You only need to complete one to move on to the next prompt.


Each time you satisfy a task, make a post here In YOUR OWN THREAD. Please use the following example for your Completion Post.


Prompt # / Name:
Book:
Author:
Date Read:
Pages:
Task:
How it Fits:


If you have any questions about this challenge, please post them in the Coffee Bar: Q&A Thread.


Challenge Rules:
☕️ Standard Rules Apply
☕️ I will create an individual thread for you prior to the start date.
☕️ Your first prompt will be posted on March 31, 2024.
☕️ Books must be completed after the task has been posted.


{Source: ncausa.org}


☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️


Free Coffee Passes


Stuck on a task? It just seems too difficult? You have 3 Free Coffee Passes to use throughout this challenge. Use them wisely!

[Michelle's Empty Nest, The Challenge Whisperer]

Prompt #1: What Is Coffee?





cof·fee /ˈkôfē,ˈkäfē/ | noun | The berries harvested from species of Coffea plants.


Everyone recognizes a roasted coffee bean, but you might not recognize an actual coffee plant.


Coffee trees are pruned short to conserve their energy and aid in harvesting, but can grow to more than 30 feet (9 meters) high. Each tree is covered with green, waxy leaves growing opposite each other in pairs. Coffee cherries grow along the branches. Because it grows in a continuous cycle, it’s not unusual to see flowers, green fruit and ripe fruit simultaneously on a single tree.


It takes nearly a year for a cherry to mature after first flowering, and about 5 years of growth to reach full fruit production. While coffee plants can live up to 100 years, they are generally the most productive between the ages of 7 and 20. Proper care can maintain and even increase their output over the years, depending on the variety. The average coffee tree produces 10 pounds of coffee cherry per year, or 2 pounds of green beans.


All commercially grown coffee is from a region of the world called the Coffee Belt. The trees grow best in rich soil, with mild temperatures, frequent rain and shaded sun.


Complete ONE of the following:

☕️ 1. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in COFFEE.
☕️ 2. Read a book set in a location with mild temperatures.
☕️ 3. Read a book with a character between the ages of 7 - 20.
☕️ 4. Read a book with a mostly green cover. {Your discretion.}

[Rachida]

♡


Prompt # 1: What Is Coffee?
Book: Murder at the Bookstore
Author: Sue Minix
Date Read: 5 april 2024
Pages: 326
Task: 2. Read a book set in a location with mild temperatures.
How it Fits: The book takes place in a small hometown where's it's sunny most of the time.

[Michelle's Empty Nest, The Challenge Whisperer]

Prompt #2A: Botanical Classification





Coffee traces its origin to a genus of plants known as Coffea. Within the genus there are over 500 genera and 6,000 species of tropical trees and shrubs. Experts estimate that there are anywhere from 25 to 100 species of coffee plants.


The genus was first described in the 18th century by the Swedish botanist, Carolus Linneaus, who also described Coffea Arabica in his Species Plantarum in 1753. Botanists have disagreed ever since on the exact classification, since coffee plants can range widely. They can be small shrubs to tall trees, with leaves from one to 16 inches in size, and in colors from purple or yellow to the predominant dark green.


In the commercial coffee industry, there are two important coffee species — Arabica and Robusta.


Complete ONE of the following:

☕️ 1. Read a book with more than one species of characters.
☕️ 2. Read a book that is over 500 pages.
☕️ 3. Read a book that is between 25 - 100 pages, for this prompt only.
☕️ 4. Read a book where the author's first initial is found in CAROLUS and the last initial is found in LINNEAUS.

[Rachida]

♡


Prompt # 2A: Botanical Classification
Book: De derde date
Author: L.J. Shen
Date Read: 13 april 2024
Pages: 141
Task: 4. Read a book where the author's first initial is found in CAROLUS and the last initial is found in LINNEAUS.
How it Fits: L and S are found in Carolus Linneaus.

[Michelle's Empty Nest, The Challenge Whisperer]

Prompt #2B: Coffea Arabica — C. Arabica





Varieties: Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Mundo Novo, Tico, San Ramon, Jamaican Blue Mountain


Coffea Arabica is descended from the original coffee trees discovered in Ethiopia. These trees produce a fine, mild, aromatic coffee and represent approximately 70% of the world's coffee production. The beans are flatter and more elongated than Robusta and lower in caffeine.


On the world market, Arabica coffees bring the highest prices. The better Arabicas are high grown coffees — generally grown between 2,000 to 6,000 feet (610 to 1830 meters) above sea level — though optimal altitude varies with proximity to the equator.


The most important factor is that temperatures must remain mild, ideally between 59 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit, with about 60 inches of rainfall a year. The trees are hearty, but a heavy frost will kill them.


Arabica trees are costly to cultivate because the ideal terrain tends to be steep and access is difficult. Also, because the trees are more disease-prone than Robusta, they require additional care and attention.


Complete ONE of the following:

☕️ 1. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in ARABICA.
☕️ 2. Read a book with between 59 - 75 chapters.
☕️ 3. Read a book where it rains at least once.
☕️ 4. Read a book with an MC that "requires additional care and attention." {Be creative.}