It’s almost the end of our trip to Colombia, and we had another “Must do” to cross of our list: a coffee tasting! Fortunately, we found a great place to sample and learn more about coffee in Medellin. Toucan Café and Tours, only a 5 minute walk from our hotel in Poblado, hosts coffee tastings every weekday at 4PM. Here’s our experience at a coffee tasting at Toucan Café.
Coffee Tasting overview
We not only got a coffee tasting from our guide Juan (Not Valdez!), we got a master class in coffee origins, preparation, and the smells and flavors of coffee! We also got lucky and had a private class of just the the 2 of us! Both David, who organizes all the tours offered by the company, and Juan speak perfect English, so it was an easy and fun experience for us from the booking to the class.
After the history of coffee and coffee growing briefing, which Juan adjusted when he heard we had done the coffee farm tour in Manizales, we moved from the classroom to the café.
how to taste coffee
We were presented with 4 different types of coffee and told to smell the coffee first and make notes. What is the aroma like when the coffee is dry? Bitter, sweet, other? Notice anything? We wore Toucan Cafe aprons so we didn’t mess our clothes. Don’t I look official with my clipboard?
We then smelled and checked the aroma after hot water was added to the coffee. Any changes in the aroma?
Coffee fan? Read about my solo trip to a coffee farm in Nicaragua
the tasting begins
Then came the tasting! I can tell you the smell and flavor doesn’t always match and the coffee we both thought smelled the worst ended up being our favorite to drink.
We found out in the end that the coffees were washed, honey, natural and processed. We both preferred the natural.
making espresso
After that, we were given a demonstration in espresso shot making AND a very quick coffee art showcase!
Then we got to drink a delicious creamy café latte. Yum.
A private class and yummy coffee means a great experience at the coffee tasting at Toucan Café.
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Yummm love coffee! I wish it was a scratch and buff video! Ha!
Oops … Meant to write … Scratch n’ Sniff video … Not Buff!