He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 95

95. Juba’s Heart

The September sun beat down intensely, but Theo’s coffee farm, nestled in the highlands, benefited greatly from its location.

The dense fog and the sloping foothills helped shield the coffee plants from direct sunlight, maintaining the optimal temperature and humidity for coffee bean cultivation.

The frequent rains had also ceased, as if on cue, just as the harvest season arrived.

Not having rain during the coffee bean drying season was a true blessing.

Thump, thump, thump.

The Black laborers poured the coffee cherries into a large water tank installed in the green bean processing facility.

Then, they skimmed off the cherries that floated on the water, sorting only the ones that sank to the bottom.

Thud, thud – thud.

Whirr.

The specially selected cherries had their skins and pulp removed by the pulpers made by Peter and Sampson, and they were immediately placed in large water tanks for fermentation.

Mr. Spencer bustled around the factory, giving instructions.

“If you soak them for too long, they can over-ferment and develop a very foul odor. Then we’ll have to discard them all. So, you must take them out when I tell you to. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!”

Still not entirely reassured, Mr. Spencer approached the leftmost soaking tank and bent down.

He scooped up a handful of coffee beans that were nearing the end of fermentation and placed them on his palm.

“Now, everyone, come here and take a good look! You can roughly tell when the fermentation is complete by touching the coffee beans like this. Everyone, come and touch them. These are the beans we need to remove soon. If they ferment any more than this, they’ll become spoiled coffee beans. We can’t use them, and we’ll have to throw them away.”

Following Mr. Spencer’s instructions, everyone diligently touched the coffee beans and visually checked their condition.

Theo, standing next to him, also picked up a coffee bean.

Indeed, the coffee beans that had undergone the fermentation process had most of their mucilage [the sticky layer beneath the skin] removed, making them very clean and smooth.

These fermented coffee beans were moved to the drying area and dried until their moisture content reached about 10%.

According to Mr. Spencer, the reason for adjusting the moisture content of the coffee beans to about 10% was to preserve the embryos within the coffee beans.

If the moisture content dropped below 10%, the embryos would die, and they could not develop into flavorful, living green coffee beans.

Therefore, Mr. Spencer paid particular attention to the drying of the green beans.

Theo nodded as he watched the coffee beans drying evenly in the drying area.

‘I see. So that’s why each farm creates its own unique drying areas, and the drying methods are so diverse. How well you dry them is a very important skill in coffee making.’

In fact, if the coffee beans are dried evenly, it will have a very positive effect on the roasting stage, where the green beans are roasted to make coffee beans.

If the coffee beans are not dried evenly, the moisture content inside the green beans will vary, and they will not roast evenly, which will ultimately cause inconsistencies in the taste of the coffee beans.

In this way, the coffee cherry processing was being smoothly completed as planned, thanks to Mr. Spencer’s meticulous supervision and the laborers’ diligent work.

*

That evening.

Theo visited Juba’s residence with baby clothes made of cotton.

He had bought them as a gift from Ava on a merchant ship that had recently docked at the port.

“Oh, Master!”

Juba, who had been playing with Ava, hurriedly stood up and bowed to Theo.

“My, Ava is really growing so fast every day, isn’t she? Haha. Here, this is for you.”

Juba was surprised when Theo handed her the baby clothes as a gift.

“Oh, thank you. Thank you. I’ll dress her in it well.”

Theo smiled and then asked Juba.

“Juba? Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Yes, of course, Master.”

Theo sat facing Juba at a small table in the room.

The table, carved from wood, looked like Sampson’s handiwork at a glance.

However, the craftsmanship of the table was so exquisite that it was clear Sampson had put a lot of effort into it.

Theo inquired about farm life and then subtly steered the conversation toward Sampson.

Juba was not yet fluent in English, but she had improved significantly in the past six months, and now she was able to hold short conversations.

“Juba… What do you think of Sampson?”

“······.”

She showed a slight fondness towards Sampson, but it was difficult to discern whether it was affection for him as a man or just simple friendship.

It seemed like he needed to ask her more directly to gauge her true feelings.

“Sampson is a very good person. I think he and Juba would be a good match. What do you think, Juba? Do you think Sampson is a good man?”

Juba was shy but slightly revealed that she didn’t dislike him.

And she answered Theo, who had waited patiently, in a barely audible voice.

“Mr. Sampson is a wonderful and capable person. Someone like me… he wouldn’t like me. I have a baby, and I’m not pretty. So, there’s no way he would like me.”

When Juba spoke, feelings of affection and love for Sampson unexpectedly surfaced.

However, her expression of emotions was cautious, and her English was limited, so it was not easy to fully grasp her deep sincerity.

Theo asked another question to confirm her feelings more clearly.

“Juba, what about Kuzo? Kuzo is young and very handsome, isn’t he?”

Sampson thought Juba liked Kuzo, and Theo thought that Kuzo was a young and handsome Black laborer who she might be attracted to.

“Kuzo is kind. But no. Not as a man.”

When he brought up Kuzo, he sensed a coldness that was quite different from when she spoke about Sampson.

“Really? So, Juba likes Sampson more than Kuzo?”

Juba glanced around and nodded slightly.

“But Sampson has a limp. Is that okay with you?”

At Theo’s question, Juba said seriously.

“Sampson is amazing. Really.”

“Huh? Amazing… What do you mean all of a sudden?”

Just as he was about to rephrase the question, thinking she had misunderstood, Juba answered first.

“It doesn’t matter if he has a slight limp. Everyone on the farm looks up to Sampson. Sampson is the best on our farm. Everyone respects Sampson. I like a man who is respectable. Sampson is so amazing and wonderful.

But… I have a baby, I’m not good at my job, and I’m not fun. I’m not good enough for the amazing Sampson, and I don’t match him.”

“······.”

A smile spread across Theo’s face at her words.

“I see. Juba also liked Sampson?”

Juba lowered her head and patted her daughter’s chest. She seemed embarrassed that she had revealed her feelings so openly.

“But Juba, do you know what?”

“?”

“Sampson has liked Juba for quite a while, I heard.”

Juba was surprised at Theo’s words.

“No. That can’t be true.”

Theo smiled at Juba, who was waving her hands in denial.

“Sampson told me a few days ago. He said he likes Juba so much that he wants to get married soon, haha.”

Juba covered her mouth with her hand, as if she was embarrassed by Theo’s talk of marriage.

Strong feelings of joy and happiness radiated from her whole being.

Showing such positive feelings about marriage meant that Juba also considered Sampson as a potential life partner.

‘I see, I might get to witness the farm’s first couple before I go to London? Hehe.’

*

Clang, clang, clang.

As he was heading to the foreman’s quarters after leaving Juba’s residence, he heard the loud sound of hammering.

Late in the evening, it seemed like they were repairing something near the communal dining hall.

He saw several people holding onto the pillars and top panels and working hard, but there was a person sitting in the corner looking listless.

It was Sampson, still trapped in unrequited love.

Even when he was working during the day, he looked like a deflated balloon with no energy.

He was just waiting for Theo to ask about Juba’s feelings.

When you’re in unrequited love, your mood fluctuates wildly throughout the day.

Sampson seemed to be feeling depressed about the prospect of a love that seemed unlikely to be reciprocated.

Theo called out to Sampson in a loud voice.

“Sampson! I thought you were going to work until your body broke, but have you changed your mind already?”

Sampson jumped up from his seat, scratched his head, and bowed.

“Master! I’m sorry. I’m just feeling so sluggish, and strangely, I don’t have any energy…”

The person who used to be so cheerful had really changed.

Just by looking at him, it seemed like he had been in despair all day because of the fear of unrequited love.

Theo asked Sampson, who had approached him.

“Sampson, do you know who I just met?”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t I say I would ask Juba?”

“To… to Juba?”

“Yes. I just met Juba and heard all about her feelings for you.”

Sampson’s eyes trembled with anticipation. Then, he lowered his head and asked nervously.

“Wh… what did she say… Juba…?”

Theo, in a playful mood, sighed and paused for dramatic effect.

“Ha-. Juba, well… what did she say… Juba said…”

“Master… my heart is pounding. Please tell me quickly.”

“Haha. I’m sorry. Juba said this. She said you’re so wonderful and she likes you so much. She said you can’t even compare to Kuzo, haha.”

“…!”

Theo smiled and recounted the conversation he had shared with Juba, word for word.

Sampson, who was listening intently as if picturing every word and expression Juba had made, was gradually filled with joy.

“Hahaha. Thank you. Thank you so much, Master!”

Sampson’s mood had flipped 180 degrees, and his whole being was overflowing with renewed energy.

“So, you were completely faking it? Hehe. I guess you’ll have to work twice as hard from tomorrow?”

Sampson, who suddenly picked up a hammer, replied in his original cheerful and refreshing voice.

“Tomorrow, Master? I’ll work twice as hard right now!”

Sampson, who turned around with a bright smile, approached the group who were fixing the communal kitchen and shouted.

“Come on. That’s not how you hammer! Get out of the way, get out of the way. I’ll show you how it’s done, hahaha-”

The colleagues were bewildered by Sampson’s sudden burst of energy, after he had seemed so downcast.

◈ Two weeks later, mid-September

The coffee beans, which had been peeled and pulped from the coffee cherries, were fermented in water and then dried for another two weeks.

Mr. Spencer, who had checked the dried green coffee beans, said to Noah.

“Noah! Put these dried green beans in clean burlap sacks and store them in a cool, well-ventilated warehouse.”

“Yes, sir.”

As all the planned coffee processing was nearing completion, a sense of anticipation began to show on the face of Mr. Spencer, who had always been calm.

After a while, Noah approached Mr. Spencer and asked.

“I put them in sacks and stored them in the warehouse as you instructed. Is that all for now?”

“Yes. This is the end of the green bean processing for the first harvest of coffee cherries.”

“Then, what do we do next?”

“What do you mean? Now we have to make real coffee with the dried green beans and taste it. And if we can finish the tasting successfully, we’ll get as many people as possible to collect the remaining coffee cherries and start processing them. Then we’ll get two or three times more than the first harvest.”

Then Noah tilted his head and asked.

“But you’re going to taste coffee? At our farm?”

“Yes. But the proper tasting will be three days later, after roasting the green beans tomorrow and making them into coffee beans, so keep that in mind.”

When coffee beans are dried, they become green beans, and when these green beans are roasted, they become coffee beans.

The coffee that people drink is made by grinding these roasted coffee beans.

Theo asked.

“But why do you say that the proper taste comes out three days after roasting the green beans?”

“Usually, it’s much better to age the green beans for a few days and grind them to make coffee than to make coffee right after roasting them into coffee beans.”

“Ah…”

“But when I tried roasting the green beans a few days ago, it seemed that our coffee had the best aroma and taste after about three days.”

“Yes, I see.”

Mr. Spencer instructed Noah.

“Prepare to roast the green beans in the factory tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, sir.”

But Mr. Spencer called out to Noah, who was about to turn around and leave.

“Oh, right, Noah. Someone from outside will be coming to our farm tomorrow, so you’ll have to go to the inn in the morning to pick them up.”

“From outside? Are you bringing in a coffee roasting expert?”

Mr. Spencer smiled mysteriously and replied.

“Expert? Well, yes… He knows the coffee aroma and taste better than I do, so you could say he’s an expert.”

“…?”

***

The next day at noon.

There were two people at Theo’s coffee farm who had not been seen before.

Mr. Spencer introduced the two to Theo.

“Lord Sanderson, these are my children who you briefly saw at my house last time. They are twins. This is my son, Harold, and this is my daughter, Margaret, haha.”

“Yes, I saw them then. It’s nice to see you again like this.”

“Nice to meet you, Lord Sanderson.”

“It’s nice to see you again.”

As Theo had been at first, everyone on the farm was struck by their remarkable appearance.

Theo suddenly became curious.

‘Today is just the day to roast the green beans, and the official tasting is three days later, so why did he bring his children already? I know Mr. Spencer is going to do the roasting himself, right?’

With these questions in mind, Theo went into the factory with them.