Black Gold

Colombia is known worldwide for two major exports: one legal, one illegal; one black, one white; and neither that I had ever tried. After spending a few days in the coffee region of Colombia, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tour a small coffee farm. . .

Coffee is the “black gold” of Colombia –it is the crop that has been (and continues to be) the country’s largest legal export (1.6 billion dollars annually). Colombia currently produces 12% of the world’s coffee (second only to Brazil). Colombian coffee is imported the world over but primarily in the USA, Germany, Japan, France, and Italy.

A brief history of coffee: coffee was first used as a beverage in Ethiopia in the 1400's. Supposedly, the farmers noticed that after goats ate the beans from a certain plants they had much more energy. They started experimenting with the beans to see what caused it. The beans weren't too tasty, but after much experimentation, a tasty (this is a matter of opinion) beverage was born. From Ethiopia, coffee exploded in popularity worldwide!

Coffee was introduced to Colombia in the 1800’s and the coffee region in central Colombia has the perfect climate for growing coffee -- Colombia now grows over 100 varieties of coffee.

For some varieties, the beans are ripe when red, for others they aren’t ripe until they turn a certain shade of green. Regardless, in small farms, the beans are all still picked by hand.

I learned a lot about the coffee production process on this tour. Although the vast majority of coffee beans are handled commercially, it’s great to see how a cup of coffee is produced at a local level – from start to finish  on the coffee farm.

After picking the ripe beans, the first step is shelling:  using a hand-cranked machine.

Next, the beans need to be dried using the heat of the sun. This process can take anywhere from a week to a month depending on the temperatures.

Roasting: this is a very important step. The beans must be constantly stirred while over an open flame, to ensure that they don’t burn. For over an hour, someone must stir the beans. . .until they are perfectly roasted. This step has more to do with the flavor than any other.

Finally, the roasted beans are ground to make the product most people buy at the store or put in their coffee machines:

Prior to this trip, I had never tried coffee. I’ve had chocolates with coffee flavors and coffee liquors. The smell just isn’t appealing to me. It's such a shame since it’s such a social thing – not just in the US but in so many countries. I just have never had a desire to give it a try. That said, here I am, in the land of Juan Valdez and his mule. . .when offered a cup of fresh ground as part of the tour. . .what could I do? I had to try it. I’ve always said I’ll try anything once.

So, here’s me having my first ever sip of coffee:

I have to say I was surprised. It didn't taste as bad as I had expected all these years. But, that said, I didn't enjoy it. I know, I know, I have always heard that it's an acquired taste. I'll pass. But now I can say that I've tried it. Fresh, and arguably, the best there is. . .

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