I had always associated Colombian coffee with the weak brew that my parents and grandparents drank when I was growing up (Folgers 100% Colombian Coffee). Well, I must admit, I have a new appreciation for 100% Colombian coffee.
After visiting Salento in the heart of the coffee country, Cafetera, Sheri and I decided to tour one of the better known coffee farms in the area, Finca El Ocasa. It was an excellent tour of a coffee plantation and processing. We had a great guide, very knowledgeable.
All the coffee in Colombia is of the arabica variety. Arabica has a sweeter, smoother, fuller flavor than the variety robusta. Robusta is more bitter and harsher, but has a very full body and has a higher caffeine content. Arabica is generally more expensive to produce because it requires very specific growing conditions and is more difficult to cultivate and process. We were able to see the entire process from growing seedlings to mature plants to picking beans (free labor but we were rewarded with cups of coffee at the end!), to extracting and drying the beans to different ways to best roast the beans and brew coffee. We also learned about the very successful marketing campaign for Colombian coffee using the character of Juan Valdez.
A beautiful landscape and a great tour.
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