Category: Zona Cafetera

The Coffee Tour

After a 3 hour tour of Hacienda Venecia today, I am impressed by all the labor that goes into one cup of coffee. Here’s my take on the coffee tour at Hacienda Venecia.

Lots to Learn

We learned a lot about coffee today!  I admit, I didn’t know very much to begin with so anything is added knowledge for me!

Colombia coffee production is high because the region isn’t troubled with seasons. They have sun and rain all the time in the coffee zone and the plants need both elements so it works out in their favor.

The Coffee Farm

We got to see a lot of the production at the farm: from little seedlings to a walk through the growing plants and more. We saw the flowers and fruit and got to watch as the farmers unloaded the day’s pickings.  The guide also showed us where the fruit gets sorted. Interestingly the premium beans are reserved for export and the worst/3rd level stay domestic as cheap coffee in Colombia. The foreigners pay a lot more than they can afford to pay here. Which explains why my host family in Cartagena drank instant coffee!

Different stages of coffee: fruit, green beans and roasted beans
Different stages of coffee: fruit, fermented beans, green beans and roasted beans
coffee fruit
The fruit on the tree: ripe and unripe

Colombian Coffee

Colombia is the 3rd or 4th largest exporter of coffee – I had no idea Vietnam was so big! – and Juan Valdez is a great story. He’s not a real person, but made up to give Colombian coffee more clout! They use Juan Valdez as a collective of Colombian coffee growers to get marketing and selling power, and to fund their farms and workers.

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Manizales Town and Termales

After a fantastic night’s sleep at the finca, yesterday’s plan was to explore the nearby town of Manizales and local hot springs, or termales. We had a great day and are so glad we visited Manizales town and termales.

Manizales Landscape

Manizales is part of a beautiful landscape but I could never live here. The driving up and down and around winding mountains is too much for my motion sickness! I have taken gravol before every single drive into and out of this coffee farm and I am still feeling it!

visit to the town

We took the Hacienda Venecia van to the highway and the lovely Angela from the hotel accompanied us into town. We hitched a ride with a collectivo jeep for a 15 minute journey that cost 5000 COP for the two of us (about $2.20 Canadian). Cool trip – the views along the mountains are lovely. I just would be addicted to Gravol if I lived here.

We walked around the town a bit, visited some plazas and a cathedral.

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Life on a Colombian Coffee Farm

After a long wait for a flight this morning, and another wait for a ride, we made it to Colombia’s famous Zona Cafeteria! We will be enjoying delicious fresh coffee for the next few days from our base on a coffee farm (finca) outside of Manizales. The finca is called Hacienda Venecia and it is proving to be a lovely place to relax after the hectic pace of our city stays the past week. We are experiencing life on a Colombian coffee farm.

Coffee Farm Location

The finca is outside of the city of Manizales. We flew from Bogota this morning and took a very winding cab ride through the mountains to get here. I should have taken a pill before the drive because it was worse than a roller coaster, but we arrived safe and not sick.

About The Coffee Farm

This is a working coffee farm, with a hostel and two guest houses. They offer tours every day to the public, and three meals a day. There are birds and wildlife, green trees everywhere, an orchid house, hammocks for resting, trails for hiking and pools for swimming. We will be here for 2 nights and plan to experience as much as is on offer, which includes the coffee tour, 7:30am yoga and free coffee all day long! (I’ve already had an espresso and it is delicious!)

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