Colombian Coffee

adrimm says on Aug 16, 2005, 16:05:

Pssst This is the poster who asked if there was fast food avail in Bogota.

I'm guessing school kid or clever troll.

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YTO SAN says on Aug 16, 2005, 16:41:

Coffee Buster:

I was in Colombia a month ago and brought back 40 packages of coffee without any problems at US Customs, they will pinch every single pack to check that in effect is coffee what you bring. each pack that I brought back was 500 Grs. (that's half a kilo per package). from what I heard (also My favorite brand) is Cafe Sello Rojo, you can buy it at any market (Pomona, Exito, ETC....)

=======YTO SAN

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buster says on Aug 16, 2005, 17:09:

Adrimm.. I'm neither of what you suggested. However, I have not been to Bogota before and I am trying to get as much information about it as I can before I leave, just as any smart traveler would do.

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aztec says on Aug 16, 2005, 17:16:

Coffee Have returned with two suitcases full of coffee. The only problem you may have is that your bags may be searched. Apparently, the aroma of coffee might conceal other products with aroma. Just keep your "skirts clean" and you should not have any problems. They don't care if you return with coffee.

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adrimm says on Aug 16, 2005, 17:55:

My apologies I've been in a somewhat foul mood lately and I think it is colouring my impressions of threads here a bit.

1) Transportation: Even if you have little luggage, it would be easiest to catch a cab from the airport to your hotel at any time of day, and certainly much safer in the evening (especially since you don't know the city or buses, etc). There are cabs that are designated for the airport and these are the best to take. There is also a taxi booth in the airport that will tell you how much your fare to your destination will cost.

2) Darkness: The equator passes over the south of Colombia, as such days do not change in length much, and sunrise and sunset happen around 6ish like clockwork year-round.

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Gator says on Aug 16, 2005, 18:24:

No Problems... I also prefer Cafe Sello Rojo. Just bought some yesterday at the market down the street-paid $6.250 pesos ($2.72 USD) for 500 grams 1.1 pounds and it came with 500 grams of free sugar. Just stop in any supermarket for the best prices-avoid the airport shops.

Cabs are cheap from the airport and all have meters-look for the yellow ones that have telephone numbers like 221111, 333333, 442222, etc. should run no more that about $5usd say 10.000 to 12.000 pesos.

adrmin is right about six o'clock with almost no twilight. At that time of night I would also recommend a light jacket or sweater-it will be cool. For routine transportation don't be afraid to try the buses, about 900/1100 pesos depending on the type-price increases by 50 pesos after dark.

enjoy Bogotá-great city.

"Credidi pretio parvo emere et magno vendere tibi in animo fuisse!" .

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Miguel says on Aug 17, 2005, 00:19:

Colombian Coffee Unless you are going right to the source (finca) or certain restaurants, the coffee you purchase in Colombia is not nearly as fresh as the coffee beans you can buy in The States. The good stuff gets exported. I brought a bag of Sello Rojo and a bag of beans from a coffeehouse in Barranquilla and had a friend who is a coffee buyer/taster sample them. They were around 4 months old.

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Dolfi says on Aug 17, 2005, 00:35:

I found that the "Juán Valdez"-coffee I bought on the airport in Bogotá before leaving is of excellent quality, though more expensive that what you get at supermarkets.

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timmy says on Aug 18, 2005, 22:52:

Colombian coffee One time my bags were searched in the airport at Barranquilla and the security guy punchered 3 bags arrg but just last week I passed thru there and they didn't bother my coffee at all.

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flaleo says on Aug 22, 2005, 13:21:

If you have any experience ta If you have an experienced taste for coffee you'll know that the key to getting fresh coffee is buying it shortly after it is roasted/cooked. Uncooked beans will store for many many months after picking.

Thus, you'll do much better buying a freshly roasted/cooked whole bean in the U.S. than you will do buying some bean or ground in Colombia that may have been roasted/cooked many weeks or months earlier.

...not to mention that most likely the best beans grown in Colombia are exported or only sold in specialty high-end stores.

Bottom line, buy you coffee beans in the U.S. Buy in Colombia if you want a novelty gift, or if you don't have an experienced coffee taste.

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Sylvie says on Aug 22, 2005, 18:41:

What are the rules with regards to bringing any type of food back to the United States? I got my nuts confiscated when I went to the Miami airport from Colombia. The cute little doggy sniffed them out of my bag. I was told by the officer that since they were not factory packaged that I couldn't bring them in.

But other times I've brought some very odd unpackaged food from other places in the world and never was told anyhting.

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Shanidar says on Sep 11, 2005, 18:34:

Cafe La Bastilla Tipo Medio (Tipo 2) Wicked good coffee. Roasted in Medellin, fresh in the stores. Don't get over economical and buy the 2.5 kilo bag. It is not vacuum packed. When my fiancee brought that size bag with her, it exploded in her luggage. Buy the 500 gram vacuum bricks of whatever brand you like...

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flaleo says on Sep 12, 2005, 10:58:

hey shanidar, how can you say it's fresh in stores - i mean, do you know when they roasted/cooked it? or is it possible that it's been on the shelve for weeks/months and it's not really fresh anymore (even if it's vacuum packed?

i'm still looking for fresh (beans just roasted/cooked) in colombia (medellin or cali).

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LDW says on Sep 13, 2005, 22:22:

Colombian Coffee Maybe others in here have had different experience than I have, but my experience is that one of the most difficult things to get in Colombia is a decent cup of coffee. The Colombians certainly know how to grow it.....no argument there, but I have not yet met anybody there who knows how to brew it and serve it. For me, the Italians and the French are the real masters there. Any coffee shop in Colombia I have been to serves coffee with sugar already in it. When I asked the waiter to serve me the coffee "amargo" (unsweetened), he looked at me as if I were crazy. I like my coffee unsweetened, but with milk, and I like it hot. Perhaps I just associate with the wrong people in Colombia.

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aztec says on Sep 14, 2005, 03:30:

I can't... ...prove it but I have been told the best coffee is sent out of the Country.

A few years ago I was served a small Colombian tinto in the Executive Offices at the World Bank Headquarters and was blown away with the flavor. Also told by the administrator there the coffee was very rare.

If this is an example then we common folks don't have access to the very best coffee from Colombia!

(Please excuse the name dropping, I was only on an Intern.)

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aztec says on Sep 14, 2005, 03:35:

Opps... ...I better be more careful on this Board with how one turns a phrase. "on an Intern" should have read internship. Images of a Former President after I reread the comment! And I surely don't want to make a political statement here.

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Shanidar says on Sep 15, 2005, 17:58:

Well, I think the coffee was fresh The Carrefour in Envigado continuosly restocked I was there. I was there at least twice a week for three months, and frequently they were sold out of the Cafe la Bastilla Tipo 2. As it is roasted in Medellin, and few klicks from Envigado, and as I have been drinking and hunting good coffee for 20+ years, I think it was fresh.
This is my opinion, etc...

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