It was a wonderful day tour to Finca La Campesina, and a highlight of our trip to Bogotá. We had Nick, who was the most pleasant and knowledgeable guide, and just a nice person. He translated into English everything we were told on the farm, and also told us many interesting things about Colombia and Bogotá, where he grew up. There were only four of us, so the experience felt personal and almost private. Our day started with pickup at the Cranky Croc Hostel in the nice and safe part of La Candelaria. We drove for about an hour and a half east of Bogotá, first going up to 3000+ meters and then going down to 1800 meters above sea level, where Finca La Campesina is located. You really feel the altitude changes around Bogotá, so if you get carsick or are sensitive to elevation, be prepared for that.
The farm itself is rather small, and everything feels quite personal there. There were no other tours at the same time, so we had a calm and private atmosphere. We started with a traditional farm breakfast with a breathtaking view and a cup of farmer’s coffee prepared with panela (which is raw cane sugar, you’ll also be told how it’s made), and then went through basically every step of coffee collection and processing. We learned the basics of coffee growing, did coffee cherry picking, saw it being weighed and evaluated, and then depulped. This farm uses the traditional wet processing method. We also got a great overview of Colombia’s coffee regions, saw how coffee is sun-dried (with a cat), and how it’s stored afterward. We finished with a coffee tasting prepared in a French press, along with an explanation of different brewing methods and what actually changes between them. At the end, we had Ajiaco con pollo for lunch. It’s the traditional Bogotá chicken soup with three kinds of potatoes, and it’s now one of my favourite meals. I honestly think it was the most delicious dish I had in Bogotá. The potato flavor was just on another level.
Things to note and some advice: I wouldn’t expect to learn anything radically new if you’re a coffee geek. The tour focuses on very detailed basics, assuming you know little about coffee. But you’ll still very much enjoy the whole experience if you simply like coffee and want to see how it’s made on a real farm. The farm has a small and lovely souvenir and coffee shop with very reasonable prices, and they accept card payments. We had a 125-gram coffee sample included, and bought another 250-gram pack for 30000 pesos. They also had 1-pound packs that were a bit cheaper per weight. They even sell good-quality handmade ponchos for 50000 pesos, which we found really great, along with smaller souvenirs.
If you didn't have enough and want another quality cup a of coffee after getting back to the city, there’s a great coffee shop called Café Nos basically across the street from Cranky Croc Hostel. They can walk you through V60/Chemex preparation and give you a proper little coffee tasting experience for no extra cost. Just ask about it and stay on the first floor.
Regarding the tour itself, you can find more details about it on the True Colombian Experience website. We also booked it through them. They offer many other interesting experiences as well. We found the communication extremely pleasant and seamless, which is why we chose them in the first place, and we didn’t regret it for a second. It went beyond our rather high expectations.