The Coffee Triangle, also known as ‘Eje Cafetero,’ is a region of Colombia known for breathtaking scenery, thrilling adventures, and, you guessed it, outstanding coffee.
The small, charming town of Salento is perfectly positioned within the Coffee Triangle to take advantage of each of these features, making it one of the most popular places to stay in the region, and for good reason.
While this adorable town can be somewhat touristy, the countryside is unlike anywhere I’ve experienced.
Getting to the Coffee Triangle
Getting to the coffee triangle region of Colombia was a memorable experience in and of itself. We took a long and windy bus ride from Medellín to Salento, which left both of us feeling a bit motion sick.
For an uncomfortable portion of the drive, the driver was speeding down the road in the wrong lane. This would happen for miles at a time and around one blind corner after another. It was seriously frightening.
At one point, we came across a minor wreck between a motorcycle and a car. The motorcycle driver attempted to turn his bike around and flee the scene in traffic. The other guy got out of his car and physically grabbed the motorcycle driver, preventing him from leaving.
As we continued our journey, we noticed a small group of guys riding on the top of a cargo truck. Literally, they were sitting on top of the cargo piled up in the back of a large work truck. When we arrived at a checkpoint on the road, the entire group jumped off of the truck and ran in the opposite direction.
What was supposed to be a six-hour bus ride ended up taking over nine hours. I could go on, but you get the point. Although it was a rough and crazy ride, it is certainly an experience we will never forget.
It was dark when we arrived in the town of Salento. We grabbed our bags thankful we had made it and eagerly rolled them down the steep, cobblestone street to our hotel. We would discover in the morning that the town of Salento is utterly adorable.
We were in the “coffee triangle” of Colombia so, as you might imagine, we were excited to taste some good coffee. We scheduled a coffee tour for the next day at a coffee plantation called Finca El Ocaso (or, in English, Sunset Farm).
Our tour at Finca El Ocaso
We hired a private jeep to take us from the town square to the estate. The drive took us down a long and rocky dirt road that turned out to be more adventurous than we expected.
We weren’t sure what to expect as we pulled up to the farm, but it was just as lovely as the town of Salento.
We had a couple of espressos at the coffee bar on the property while waiting for the tour to begin. The coffee was delicious, and the views from the outdoor coffee shop were stunning. And now we were amped up for our tour!
The tour was both educational and entertaining. It began with a walking tour around the plantation grounds, where we learned about the process of growing and harvesting the coffee plants.
I knew virtually nothing about coffee at the time (other than that I love drinking it), so being able to walk around and explore so much of the property was fascinating to me.
We not only got a closer look at the coffee plantation itself, but also the equipment and infrastructure for storing and harvesting the coffee plants. I had no idea how much went into making the coffee I drink every day!
And we even had the opportunity to pick some coffee beans ourselves. I’m pretty sure I ended up with more quality beans in my basket than Nick, but who’s counting?!
The coffee tasting
The second half of the tour was the highlight for us. It is the part I had been anxiously awaiting—the coffee tasting!
But it was so much more than just a tasting. Finca El Ocaso refers to it as a “sensorial workshop” on its website.
We started with a “smell” test. We were presented with a handful of bottles containing distinct aromas and asked to identify the scent in each bottle.
I’m going to be straight with you here. I was terrible at this exercise. I mean, got 100% wrong, terrible. Not my strong suit, I guess, but it was still an entertaining experiment!
Next, we moved to the tastings. We learned about and savored the unique differences between a few varieties of Colombian coffee. We also compared how each coffee’s flavors could change based on various brewing methods, such as V60, Chemex, and Aeropress.
After an all-around fantastic experience, we left feeling educated and energized.
It is a bit crazy to me how we could know so little about something that is such a regular part of our everyday lives. It was eye-opening to learn about this, and I’m not sure either of us will ever be able to think of coffee in the same way now.
To continue reading about our hike at Cocora Valley and more adventures in Salento, click here.
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