Bogota, Dia Cinco- Coloma Coffee Farm

While the area around Bogota is not in the "coffee triangle," there are small coffee farms not too far away. 

We visited Coloma coffee farm, a working farm that's been in the same family for eight generations. Below are the coffee plants. They grow on tree like bushes fairly low to the ground and have a life span of about 25 years. 

After 25 years, you'll know they're done. 

The coffee trees are interspersed with orange trees to provide plenty of shade and humidity. Possibly the citrus also flavors the coffee? Unclear in the translation but we were told the farm is all organic and the citrus fruit seeps back into the ground to make the soil rich. 

Here are what picked coffee beans look like. 

(What you're seeing behind our coffee dude is an antique machine that was used to separate the bean from the husk.) 

Today, the red coffee beans are put into this machine, along with dripping water to separate the husk from the inside.

The inside of the bean is then laid out into the sun to dry. 

I may be missing some steps here but next (I think) it's time to roast the beans. 

The longer the roast, the deeper the flavor. Time to grind the beans!

Time to drink or our coffee! 

They threw in a shot of coffee liqueur, too. That made us happy:

We also "drove" a WWI-era jeep. We actually just sat in it but the farmers were very proud and excited to show it off. 

Some other gems: coco plant and pod. 

A chapel at the farm. Was told good things will happen if we pray here. Ill think about it...

Sugar cane:

A romantic bench for novios y novias. 

Or...

(Morgan? Collin?) 

Tomorrow, we're off to Medellin. In all honesty, I really only know Medellin from what I learned on Entourage but I'm excited to learn more!