The two days
Two days, one lot. Day 1 is about understanding the coffee at origin. Day 2 is about interpreting it through roasting. You return to Bogotá between the two and sleep in the hotel you chose.
Times are representative. Farm location, Bogotá traffic, harvest activity, and roastery capacity can change the exact sequence of any departure.
The full arc: Origin Day and Roast Day back to back, following one lot. You sleep in Bogotá between the two, in the hotel you chose.
Bogotá café · sensory drive · farm · origin cupping
Day 1: From the cup to the producer
7:30–8:30
Meet the coffee in Bogotá
Begin at a selected specialty café. Meet Natalia and the group, taste the featured lot or a deliberately related reference coffee, and learn how to distinguish variety, process, roast, and preparation. The opening tasting gives the group a sensory question to carry to the farm.
8:30–11:00
The road to origin
Travel by private vehicle to the selected farm. Natalia guides an informal cultural and coffee conversation on the way, aroma samples, green and roasted coffee, process cards, and sensory prompts. Why Colombian coffee does not have one flavor; how variety, terroir, process, roast, and brew each matter; how buyers, producers, roasters, and cafés divide value and risk.
11:00–12:00
Meet the producer and the lot
Walk the farm with the producer or technical lead. Meet the exact lot the group will roast on Day 2: producer, farm, region, elevation, variety, harvest, process, and quality data.
12:00–13:30
Quality begins before processing
Depending on the season and farm: compare varieties, identify cherry ripeness, take a Brix reading, discuss selective picking, inspect plant health, and see how agronomy choices affect quality.
13:30–14:30
Lunch at origin
Eat with the producer and team. Lunch is part of the experience, not a break from it, the farm as a business, the realities of producing exceptional lots, and what you tasted that morning.
14:30–16:00
Processing as flavor design
Follow the lot through sorting, depulping where relevant, fermentation, washing, drying, storage, and quality control. Where the farm runs experimental processes, we explain what was controlled, measured, and repeated, not fermentation as spectacle.
16:00–17:15
Sample roast and origin cupping
Cup the selected lot alongside comparisons chosen to control at least one variable: another process from the same farm, the same variety and process from a different elevation, a lower-scoring separation, or a different roast, plus comparative coffees from other Colombian farms to place the lot in context. The producer explains what they intended and what they would change.
17:15–20:00
Return to Bogotá
Part of the drive is for reflection, part for rest. You receive the next day's meeting details and one question: what should the roast preserve, emphasize, or change?
Green analysis · reference roast · guest profile · blind cupping
Day 2: From green coffee to your roast
9:00–9:45
A second specialty-coffee perspective
Meet at a second specialty café or at the partner roastery. Taste the same lot or a related reference preparation and discuss how brew choices alter perception.
9:45–10:30
Read the green coffee
At the roastery, assess moisture, density, screen size, physical condition, variety, process, and the producer's goals. Juan explains which observations matter to his initial roast strategy.
10:30–11:30
Juan develops the reference
Juan builds or adjusts his reference profile live, narrating the major decisions: charge approach, energy management, airflow, rate of rise, Maillard development, first crack, development time, color, and the sensory result he expects. The point is understanding the intention behind the curve, not merely watching the controls.
11:30–12:45
The group designs and roasts its profile
Agree on a sensory goal and build a group profile under Juan's supervision. Everyone gets an active role: recording milestones, watching color and aroma changes, operating approved controls, tracking rate of rise, or documenting sensory predictions. A real collaborative roast, not a staged button press.
12:45–13:45
Lunch with Juan
Room for informal questions about competition, buying, mistakes, equipment, Colombian coffee, and the working life of a roaster.
13:45–15:00
Curves, predictions, and pre-rested references
Review the morning roast data while the live batches rest. Blind-cup pre-roasted reference profiles of the same lot, prepared 48–72 hours earlier. Learn how different curves can reveal or suppress acidity, sweetness, florals, fruit, body, and finish.
15:00–15:45
Revise the guest profile
Based on the reference cupping and curve analysis, decide what you would change and roast a second guest iteration when equipment and batch time allow. If a second live roast is not possible, the group creates the revised curve and Juan explains how it would be executed.
15:45–16:45
Fast quality-control cupping
Cup the morning live roasts after several hours of rest. We are scientifically honest: this is an early QC evaluation, not the coffee's final expression. Compare Juan's intentions with the group's and identify what can already be observed.
16:45–17:30
Pack, document, and close the loop
Complete your roast passport and take home labeled samples, with instructions for re-cupping after the coffee rests. We close by comparing the cup that began Day 1 with the choices the group made on Day 2.
Optional Day 5: Online re-cupping
A 30-minute optional group call to re-cup the rested coffee, compare notes, and see how the live roast changed after degassing. It extends the learning at minimal logistical cost.
A note on fresh roasts
We evaluate the live roasts on Day 2, then send you home with enough coffee to taste again after it rests. Coffee changes after roasting; that change is part of the lesson.
Practical details
- Meeting points
- Day 1 begins at a specialty café in Bogotá (exact pin sent 24 hours before departure). Day 2 begins at a second café or the partner roastery, details shared at the end of Day 1. Transportation to the Day 2 meeting point is not included.
- Physical demand
- Moderate. Expect uneven ground, and possibly stairs or slopes at the farm. Contact us before booking if you have accessibility questions, we will answer honestly.
- What to wear and carry
- Closed comfortable shoes with grip, layers for mountain weather, a rain layer, sun protection, and a refillable water bottle. We carry ponchos, sunscreen, insect repellent, and a first-aid kit.
- Weather and roads
- Rain rarely cancels a departure, farms work in the rain, and so do we. If road conditions make travel unsafe, we reschedule or refund per the cancellation policy.
- Meals and dietary needs
- Lunch on both days is included, plus all coffees and tastings. Tell us about dietary restrictions or allergies in the booking form, the farm kitchen and Day 2 lunch can accommodate most needs with notice.
- No farm overnight
- You sleep in Bogotá both nights, in accommodation you chose. Go deep without giving up your Bogotá hotel.