Moruga: A Place of Love, Legacy, and Lush Green Hills

There are places that become etched into your soul, not just for their beauty but for the memories they hold. Moruga is one of those places for me. Nestled along the southern coast of Trinidad, it is a land of rolling green hills, rugged coastline, and a spirit that feels both ancient and alive.

My father's brother, uncle Ramesh; was more than just an uncle. He was a father figure, a guide, a man who carried the weight of wisdom in his eyes and he treated me as his own son. He loved Moruga, and through him, so did I. Many times, he would take me along on his visits, and in those drives through the winding roads, I fell in love with the land. But Moruga was not just about the place - it was also where I first felt the pull of young love.

I was nineteen, full of dreams and curiosity, when I met her - the daughter of my uncle's friend. It started with stolen glances and the fluttering thrill in my stomach whenever she was near. She worked in a boutique in San Fernando, and I would make the long journey from Cunupia just to see her. Was it love? Maybe. Or maybe it was just Moruga working its magic on me, as it had done to so many before.

My connection to Moruga was not just one of romance but also of labor and livelihood. Another uncle, Uncle Six, would take me with him during the week to buy pigeon peas, which we would resell at the Tunapuna Market on weekends. I can still remember the scent of fresh earth and the smell of the salty air as I would help him load the bags of peas onto his Nissan pick-up, the chatter of farmers, the quiet hum of Moruga's life pulsing in the background.

Moruga has always been a place of abundance with its soil rich, and it's resilient people. Once, it was known for its coffee and cocoa, its estates producing some of the finest beans that made their way to far-off lands. Today, its name is known for other treasures - the fierce Moruga Scorpion pepper, the cherished Moruga Hill Rice, and the ever-dependable fishermen who bring in the day's catch from the wild, restless sea.

But beyond its products and economy, Moruga holds a deeper magic. It is in the way the mist rolls over the hills at dawn, in the laughter of a fisherman gutting his catch, in the hush of the forests where whispers of the past still linger. It is in the feeling that, here, you are part of something older than yourself - a place where history and heartbeats intertwine.

Tamana Coffee exists to tell the stories of places like this. To bring to the world the taste of the land, the spirit of the people, and the romance of the Caribbean that cannot be captured in words alone.

Moruga is just one story, but it is one that stays with me - a place of young love, honest work, and endless green hills that still call me home.