20 Jul 2023
My husband and I took this tour in early July. Our guide, Sarah, was fantastic! She picked us up at our hotel and talked with us about Medellin, how the city is laid out and the farm where we were going on the drive. When we arrived, she introduced us to Sandra and her family who own and run the farm. As we don’t speak Spanish, Sarah stayed with us as we toured the farm and helped with any communication problems we had. Sandra was delightful. She took us through the trees and pointed out flowers and fruits we might not have recognized, including many coffee trees. We were able to see all three types of cacao they grow and pick a couple of ripe pods to take back to the house.
We got to participate in the chocolate making process from bean to bar. Every step was interesting and thoroughly explained to us. Once we had gone from beans to 70% (our choosing, we could have done any percent we wanted) chocolate, we made our own small bars, adding spices and other ingredients if we chose to. Sandra and her family were warm and welcoming. It was so much fun to meet them and get that hands on experience! The chocolate was delicious as well. Sandra makes bonbons that we were able to try and purchase to bring home. All in all, I would highly recommend this tour! It was informative and just a lot of fun.