Category Archives: Colombia

From ‘crop to cup’ – part 4 of 4.

Posted on 18/04/2014 by Richard Griffith

Picture if you will a Pyramid – at the base of the pyramid can be found Robusta coffee then, as you climb up, you get Natural Arabica, then Washed Arabica, then speciality coffees – like ‘Kopi Luwak’. The price of … Continue reading →

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From ‘crop to cup’ – part 3 of 4.

Posted on 16/04/2014 by Richard Griffith

Harvesting: Colombian coffee is all about ‘freshness’. Due to its location, the central region of Colombia is able to take multiple harvests. All the coffee in Colombia is harvested by hand. In other countries, where the coffee is grown in … Continue reading →

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From ‘crop to cup’ – part 2 of 4.

Posted on 14/04/2014 by Richard Griffith

Is that a fact? We drink about 1.5 billion cups of coffee a day, with the USA drinking a 1/5 of this. In 2004 the coffee plantations of the world would have covered the country of Portugal. The 17 billion … Continue reading →

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From ‘crop to cup’ – part 1 of 4.

Posted on 13/04/2014 by Richard Griffith

I have been receiving a lot of questions about coffee production here in Colombia. First a history lesson. Used traditionally by nomadic mountain warriors of the Galla tribe in Ethiopia, where the plant is indigenous, coffee was first eaten as … Continue reading →

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Hacienda Venecia.

Posted on 07/04/2014 by Richard Griffith

Located within the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ´Coffee Triangle´, just 20 minutes from Manizales, Hacienda Venecia is a fourth generation working coffee farm made up of 200 hectares, of which 170 hectares produce coffee. Hacienda Venecia is a commercial coffee business, … Continue reading →

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‘Wake up and smell the coffee’.

Posted on 29/03/2014 by Richard Griffith

It was probably three weeks ago when the email appeared in my inbox, it was from my accountant. Attached to the email was an unwelcome letter from the Inland Revenue. The IR were chasing ‘outstanding payments’ and they wanted them … Continue reading →

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The 659 steps

Posted on 24/03/2014 by Richard Griffith

The tiny town of Guatapé is a popular Medellin getaway for tourists and locals alike who want to wander its pretty streets and take boat trips out onto the artificial lake, El Embalse del Peñol. Looming over the lake is … Continue reading →

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Bridge over troubled water

Posted on 24/03/2014 by Richard Griffith

Located east of Medellin, the wonderfully preserved colonial town of Santa Fe de Antioquia makes for a great day trip from Medellin. The driver of the local bus, which I had unluckily chosen, was obviously on ‘something’. Ignoring every single … Continue reading →

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‘Turn on, tune in, drop out’

Posted on 24/03/2014 by Richard Griffith

Medellin (pronounced ‘Medajean’), the city of Colombia’s proudest residents, the paisas, is an amazing place. It was once the world’s most murderous city, though you’d never know it today. With a perfect, perpetual spring-like climate, chic shopping malls, world-class restaurants … Continue reading →

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‘The only risk is never wanting to leave’

Posted on 16/03/2014 by Richard Griffith

Cartagena – pronounced ‘Cartahena’. A fairy-tale city of romance, legends and sheer beauty, Cartagena is a beautiful city with cobbled alleys, enormous balconies shrouded in bougainvillea and massive churches casting their shadows across leafy plazas. Founded in 1533, Cartagena swiftly … Continue reading →

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