Tag: coffee

A Day on a Coffee Farm in Matagalpa

Matagalpa is coffee country, and it was recommended I visit a coffee farm while here. I took the chicken bus north out of town and visited the organic coffee farm known as Selva Negra, or Black Forest. It was interesting and relaxing spending a day on a coffee farm in Matagalpa.

About The Coffee Farm

The farm, and eco-resort and restaurant, is a self-sustaining business with it’s own town. As well as offering coffee tours, there are a lot of hiking trails, so I spent an entire day there. It was beautiful and interesting.

Some interesting facts I learned: Selva Negra is called Black Forest because it was founded by Germans. Germans brought coffee farming to Matagalpa. The farm is completely organic and ecological. Selva Negra coffee is produced under the name La Hammonia. They sell to Whole Foods in the U.S., so you may have tried this Nicaraguan coffee yourself.

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Eating And Drinking In Reykjavik

For a small city, there are tons of eating options in Reykjavik. Even the “budget” meals are not cheap, though, so it’s worth it to choose wisely or stop worrying about costs. Here are my tips on eating and drinking in Reykjavik.

Like to try the food when you travel? Check out my food guides for Bonaire and Puerto Rico!

Fish & Chips

Seafood is big in Iceland – you can get fish stew in many places, and fish and chips is a hot item. Near the harbour in Reykjavik, there are 2 top options right across the street from one another. We headed that way on Saturday because our guide book recommended one which looked too stuffy and was empty, so we went into the hipper looking Reykjavik Fish. Not cheap, but delicious.

Reykjavik Fish
Outside Reykjavik Fish

We both went for the combo #1 – Fish and Chips with one sauce and a draft beer for $32 KR. You can also order a la carte but we went for the shebang. The fish was really lightly battered and delicate, and delicious. Viking beer is the basic Icelandic lager which tastes perfectly fine. Fries were OK.

Fish and Chips Reykjavik Fish
Fish and Chips and a Viking Beer at Reykjavik Fish

Reykjavik Fish is big, clean and Nordic looking on the inside. You order at the front and they bring it to your table when it’s ready. It’s a much nicer looking place than your typical casual dining spot back home, but you’re also paying way more! But when in Iceland… I imagine the prices were similar across the street.

Reykjavik Fish
Inside Reykjavik Fish
Hot Dogs

Another ubiquitous Icelandic dish, the hot dog is much sweeter here than back home. I am having a hard time with this one; Brian likes it more than I do. These are available at N1 gas stations around the country, and are a relatively cheap meal option (still about $6 Canadian!).

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Coffee Tasting at Toucan Café Medellin

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.

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