VISIT TO A COFFEE FARM IN THE COFFEE AXIS OF COLOMBIA

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Visit a coffee farm on a trip to the Colombian Coffee Axis It is the best way to approach the culture and customs of this beautiful area of the country. Not only to better understand the process of cultivation and preparation of the flagship product of Colombia, but to better understand what coffee means for the entire local community. We visited the El Ocaso estate, near Salento, and here we tell you what a visit to a coffee farm in the Coffee Axis of Colombia.

You don't have to go back in time to find the first coffee plantations in Colombia. Unlike other products, such as cocoa that was grown and consumed in America long before the arrival of the Spaniards, it seems that coffee was introduced in Colombia by the Jesuits, back in 1730.

Since then the expansion of coffee plantations, especially in the center of the country, was inevitable. Most of these farms were (and continue to be) from farm families, who saw an ideal opportunity to maximize their small plots with a product that was increasingly in demand in countries such as the US, Germany or France.

Currently, Colombia is the third largest producer of coffee in the world (9%), after Brazil (30%) and Vietnam (19%). So where does his fame come from? Not so much of the quantity, but of the quality of the coffee. The environmental conditions play in their favor, and the cultivation, selection and processing processes are very meticulous, so we can say that Colombia produces the best coffee in the world. As you know, there are different types of coffee, the one grown here is 100% Arabic.

However, coffee is not grown throughout Colombia, and not all coffee grown is the same. For example, the departments that form the Coffee Axis (Caldas, Quindío and Risaralda) in recent years have lost strength compared to other areas in the south of the country, such as Hulia, Cauca or Nariño.

But the Coffee Axis continues to play with advantage, and that is that there are the optimal conditions to produce a high quality coffee. These are:

Altitude between 1,200 and 1,800 meters.
Temperate temperatures between 17 and 23 degrees.
Constant humidity and rainfall spread throughout the year.

So, if you want to know the soul of Colombia, it is best to go to a coffee farm and get closer to the coffee culture.

Coffee farms that offer guided tours there are many. For example, the Lonely Planet mentions farms Recuca or Coffee maker. And if you search on Tripadvisor you will see good reviews of Acacias or The currency. Several people recommended the farm Sundown (The LP also puts it), which luckily is very close to Salento, where we made a base to tour the entire Coffee Axis, and we decided on it.

To get from Salento you can walk (about 45 minutes) or take a Willys in the central square of the town (3,000 pesos). If you go with your car, you can also get there, the road is dirt and stones but you will not have major problems. Also if after the visit you follow that same road down, the panorama is spectacular.

They have guided tours every hour from 9:00, although the ones they do in Spanish are at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The price of the visit is 20,000 pesos (you can pay by card) and it is not necessary to book in advance, just arrive a little earlier. You can also buy coffee, a package of 250 grams of washed coffee (the coffee origin, that is normal) is 11,000 pesos. Then they also grow other types of more special coffees, depending on the plant, the quality of the grain, the drying, the roasting… But you will see all that during the visit.

If you want to have an even more intense experience, you can sleep at the farm, as there are also rooms for guests.

In our case, the visit to the El Ocaso coffee farm lasted approximately 1.5 hours, and it developed like this:

After the presentation, the guide gives you a basket and takes you to the plantation. There are several explanations of the crop, the types of coffee plantations, the grains, etc ... And then to cure! You yourself will select the coffee beans that are at the optimal time and you will collect them.
Then you visit the area where the worst quality beans are separated. There are several selection processes to ensure that those that are finally used are of the best possible quality.
The next steps are washing and drying, which is done in two ways: in a greenhouse-like structure where hot air runs continuously, or in a kind of oven. The type of coffee we will obtain depends on the type of grain and the selection and drying process (and of course, its final price).
The final step of the whole process is in an old coffee roasting machine. It would be the previous step to packaging and storage.
Finally, we will gather to taste the coffee grown there, and why not, to ask the last questions. By the way, coffee in Colombia is usually prepared filtered (not with espresso machines) and if the coffee is good, you won't need to add sugar 😉

We thought it was a very entertaining visit and in which we learned a lot. In addition, coffee is delicious and you are sure to take at least one package as a souvenir. We found the price reasonable, both for the visit and for the coffee they sell.

We recommend arriving a little before the start of the visit, or stay a while later, to be able to take a tour of the entire estate. There is a great house and spectacular views over the valley.

This was our experience in a visit to a coffee farm in Colombia. We hope you found it interesting, and you know, if you have any questions leave us a comment!