After Selva Negra (Nicaragua) and Hacienda Venecia in Manizales (Colombia), I found myself once again in the very heart of a ‘responsible’ coffee plantation, certified by Rainforest Alliance and Utz, but this time just a little smaller. Hacienda Combia is an agricultural and hotel family business of 39 hectares, in the “Cafeteros” region of Colombia, next to Armenia. I invite you to follow me in discovering coffee in a way that will be sure to tickle all your senses…
Hacienda Combia, a coffee tour not like any other
Manuel took over the family business with his wife Tatiana. Originally, it was only one part of the farm, but Manuel opened two other businesses some ten years ago: the hotel and its coffee tours. During the ANATO tourism exhibit in Bogota, I had heard about an annual award for responsible tourism. Hacienda Combia had actually been commended in the past for its innovative approach in the design of a rural tour, at once interactive and experiential, showcasing the regional “Cafeteros” heritage somewhat differently than usual. Meet Manuel on the video that I published on Hopineo: Hacienda Combia, Colombia.
The route is divided into ten components, inviting an awakening of the senses and suggesting that the viewer get involved so as to feel and live the “coffee experience” in harmony with nature. I invite you to find out more about this topic by watching the video I put on Hopineo.
Paola, my new barista-guide friend
I was lucky to get a coffee tour which was sort of personalised as I was alone with the guide, Paola. At 25, Paloa is very passionate about coffee, and radiates a contagious vitality while dreaming about travel. She has just ordered her passport and intends to go off all alone to work as an au-pair in the States. Very quickly we became friends and it was, after all, Saturday night … I was all alone at the hotel, a very pleasant hotel of course (pool, restaurant, jacuzzi …), but being alone is a bit … gloomy. So Paola invited me to spend the early evening at her house and to later go out with her friends. Of course, I accepted at once with pleasure, and quickly prepared a profile for her on couchsurfing.
We had a great evening: pizza with her mother and brothers, and then dancing to Latin rhythms up until 4:00am! Her cousin taught me the rudiments of salsa, merengue and vallenatos. We had a fabulous time … the next morning, I had a meeting with Manuel at 10:00am (and at that time we had not even met yet) but that was okay. I had not as yet lost the rhythm of my student years (during which I studied, worked part-time to help pay the bills, and was also part of the students’ organisation that organised my evenings!!!). At any rate, all went well and there I was in the morning, fresh as a daisy, ready to face an intense session on hotel marketing!
Translated by my friend Helene Masson from Quebec