We flew from Cartagena via Bogota to Armenia, the gateway to the Zona Cafetera; or coffee growing region. This sort of trip is probably the closest I will come to a pilgrimage.
Although I guess being in the SF bay area (i.e. the heart of the computing & the internet) was also a pilgrimage for me. Anyway – coffee, it’s inextricably linked to the business of being a computer nerd, and we do have to admit to a fairly serious addiction that has been starved throughout Latin America.
But a sudden, ready availability of the quality stuff had us falling right off the wagon, sipping the stuff like water, trying to get our fill before the inevitable return to crap coffee. The cute coffee shop near the plaza, Jesus Martin, employed a young barista who showed incredible talent. Apparently he learned his craft by watching videos on Youtube. Needless to say we spent a lot of time in there.
We hopped on board the usual array of hikes and coffee farm tours that the gringo trail here offers. Quite satisfying, and I feel like I now fully understand the life cycle of a coffee bean. It remains slightly shocking just how much human efforts goes into a single shot of espresso.
At around 1900m the climate in the region was a refreshing change from the tropics.
