I can be really dense sometimes.
Not long after I arrived in Bogotá, I repeatedly saw references to coffee all over the place — and I initially had no idea of the reason why…
…and then it finally hit me:
I was in Colombia — the home of world-famous Colombian coffee.
D-uh.
Grinding, Brewing and Tasting Coffee in Colombia. Yes, I Actually Drank Coffee.
As part of the trip for which Hilton paid for me to travel to Bogotá — yes, that is an official disclaimer — a tasting of different kinds of coffee was arranged; and that included us actually going through the process of creating each coffee, from bean to hot drink.
I might have consumed five — perhaps six — cups of coffee in my entire life. I do not dislike coffee — if I do drink it, it must contain a lot of sugar and milk or cream — but I do not need it to get my day started; and I do not crave its flavor, so I almost always do without it. Caffeine does not affect me in any way at all, so that is not an issue.
Interestingly, coffee is indigenous to Ethiopia and not Colombia; but the natural conditions of topography and weather in the mountainous region of the country help to produce what is considered to be one of the best coffees in the world, according to this article from the official Internet web site of Colombia:
Colombia’s coffee is world famous for its flavor and the unmistakeable mild but rich aroma that rises from every brew. That may explain why we’ve been exporting our coffee for almost 200 years and, for most of that time, it’s been our top export. There are many secrets to our success but our geography is undeniably one of them. Coffee grows best in volcanic soil, at altitudes of 1,200 to 1,800 meters, in places that are free of frost but receive around 80 inches of rain a year. Colombia ticks all those boxes.
The Grinding, Brewing and Tasting Session
Despite the fact that just about anyone who knows me personally knows that I do not drink coffee and have never prepared it in my entire life, I was looking forward to creating and tasting authentic Colombian coffee — and this was done at the Café Devoción coffee shop inside of the Hilton Bogotá hotel property.
The barista gave a short introduction into coffee in general before starting the instruction process of how to create a cup of several different kinds of coffee from start to finish.
This raw video shows her giving instructions on how to brew one kind of coffee — and apparently, the secret is to supposedly do it “slow…with love…like a boyfriend.”
Once the coffee was finished, it was served in glasses. I tasted it.
This was the first time I consumed any amount of coffee in years. I liked the mild yet rich flavor of it; but I could have used some sugar and some milk or cream, as I have never liked straight coffee…
…and just as I was wanting some sugar — even though I do not have a ravenous sweet tooth…
…the pastry chef of the Hilton Bogotá hotel property thankfully brought out a wooden box which contained a variety of three of her freshly prepared creations…
…and she served them on individual plates.
Yes, they were all delicious. I needed them to complement the coffee, as I am not a coffee drinker. Unfortunately, I do not remember the names of each of the pastries and what they contain. If I do receive a description of each of them, I will update this article accordingly.
I then tried a cup of espresso. I stirred it as instructed prior to tasting it; but the flavor was way too strong and bitter for my taste. This cup is best left for a person who appreciates espresso.
Now I was next.
In a thankfully rare appearance in an article here at The Gate, this raw video — which was graciously shot by Laura Delgado Schumacher with my camera — shows me grinding, brewing and drinking a fresh cup of Devoción 100 percent Colombian Wild Forest mocha chocolate coffee.
Muchas gracias, Laura!
I actually enjoyed the coffee and drank the whole cup.
Guess which place just froze over.
I was surprised with a bag of coffee to bring home with me.
I may not be a coffee drinker or an aficionado of the hot beverage — but I really do like the aroma of ground coffee and coffee beans. Fellow passengers aboard the airplane from Bogotá might have been driven crazy with that aroma.
Summary
The Café Devoción coffee shop is located on the ground — no pun intended — floor level of the Hilton Bogotá hotel property and literally right by the main entrance.
Café Devoción
Hilton Bogotá
Carrera 7 No. 72-41
Bogota, Colombia
+57-1-600-6100
+57-1-600-5800 Fax
From what I understand, the Devoción brand of coffee is only available in two cities in the world: Bogotá and New York.
I really did enjoy the Wild Forest chocolate mocha coffee and I would drink it again; but that will not convert me into a coffee drinker — coffee is just not my beverage of choice, no matter how good it is — although I did enjoy the overall experience of tasting authentic Colombian coffee; and I will never forget it.
Thank you to all of the team members at Hilton who were involved. I appreciate the experience.
All photographs ©2019 by Brian Cohen.
