Coffee tour near Medellín: what you do on a coffee farm and what’s included

Antioquia

No. 2 coffee producer

Growing altitude

1,200 to 1,800 m

Harvest

By hand, bean by bean

Process

From planting to cup

Includes

Tasting and lunch

Ideal for

Families and coffee lovers

Colombia is one of the world’s great coffee producers, and Antioquia is one of its most important coffee regions. You don’t need to travel all the way to the Coffee Region (Eje Cafetero) to visit a farm: in the mountains around Medellín there are coffee plantations where you can see the whole process, from plant to cup, in a single day.

In this guide we explain what you do on a coffee tour near Medellín, what you’ll learn, what’s included and how to prepare for the visit.

Why take a coffee tour near Medellín?

Antioquia is the country’s second-largest coffee-producing department, with about 15% of national production, behind only Huila. There are even coffee-growing areas inside Medellín: in the rural district (corregimiento) of San Sebastián de Palmitas, in the mountains west of the city, you’ll find about 70% of the municipality’s coffee crops.

That means that, a short distance from the city, you can trade traffic for green mountains, fresh air and the smell of freshly roasted coffee, without the long hours on the road that a trip to the Coffee Region requires.

What you do on a coffee farm

A coffee tour follows coffee’s journey from seed to cup. Each farm has its own style, but the visit usually includes these stages:

1. The nursery and planting

It all starts with the seed. In the nursery you see how the coffee plants germinate and how long they stay there before being moved to the plantation. The guide explains why they’re planted on slopes, at what altitude they grow best and which varieties are grown in the region.

2. The plantation and the harvest

You walk among the coffee plants and learn to recognize the ripe fruit, called cherries, which turn from green to deep red. In Colombia coffee is harvested by hand, bean by bean, which is one of the reasons for the quality of Colombian coffee.

3. Wet milling (beneficio)

After the harvest, the coffee goes through wet milling (beneficio): it’s pulped to separate the seed from the skin, then fermented, washed and dried in the sun. Depending on how this process is done, the coffee takes on different flavors.

4. Roasting and grinding

The dried bean, called parchment coffee and then green coffee, is roasted. Roasting shapes much of the final aroma and flavor. Then it’s ground to suit the brewing method.

5. The tasting

The finale is the best part: brewing and tasting the coffee. You learn to recognize aromas, acidity and body, and to tell a mild coffee from a stronger one.

What our Coffee Tour includes

The Coffee Tour near Medellín is designed so you can experience coffee culture without any hassle:

• Pickup at your hotel in Medellín.
• Guided walk through the coffee process, from planting to cup.
• Coffee honey, a traditional dessert and a tasting.
• Lunch.
• A coffee souvenir to take home.

To better understand what you’ll be tasting, read our guide Colombian coffee: from seed to cup.

Tips for your visit

• Comfortable closed-toe shoes: the plantations are on slopes and the ground can be wet.
• A light jacket: it’s cooler in the mountains than in Medellín, especially in the morning.
• Insect repellent and sunscreen: you’ll spend much of the tour outdoors.
• Cash: in case you want to buy freshly roasted coffee to take home.
• Ask everything: coffee growers enjoy talking about their work. It’s the best way to learn.

When to go

You can go any time of year. Colombia has a main harvest and a smaller one called the mitaca, and the dates vary by region. If you’d like to see the harvest in full swing, ask your advisor how the harvest is looking for your travel dates.

Mornings tend to be clearer and cooler, and in the rainy season afternoon showers are more common, so it’s best to set out early.

Frequently asked questions

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