Landing in Pasto airport is a challenge for even the best pilots. The runway in Colombia’s Nariño province sits on a narrow plateau, constantly buffeted by crosswinds that swirl across the Andes mountains.
What lies below - some of the highest-grown and finest coffees on the planet -makes it worth the bumpy approach. Indeed, altitude and coffee quality are inextricably linked.
Alvaro Pelaez, roast master
Or put another way, drinking some of the ultra-light roasts currently in vogue may make you feel ill, no matter how trendy they are. Which is not to say that here at ZipaCoffee we’re endorsing burnt coffee. Obviously it’s a question of balance.
“With coffee you make peace”, says Antonio Cirillo as he leans against a bar in central Naples, an area that’s seen its fair share of strife.
He gestures in the air, explaining the importance of coffee to the people of Naples, among the most architecturally impressive and vibrant cities in the world.
One of us recently took a week off work to sit the rigorous Q Grader course… and amazingly passed!
Designed by the Coffee Quality Institute, the programme trains coffee professionals to grade green coffee and cup in a standardized way, helping to make comparisons and identify ‘specialty’ coffee.
I’m sitting in our local bakery Azimos in Bogota’s ‘La Macarena’ neighbourhood after filling my ‘canasta’ to the brim with juicy greens. It is a great place to source organic vegetables on Saturdays and enjoy traditional Colombian dishes like ‘caldo de costilla’ or ‘changua’, as well as classic breakfasts and vegetarian options (the oat pancakes with green apple, yogurt and honey looks yummy!).
