Solento, central Colombia in Zona Cafetera

We left Medellin and went through the mountains to the south with some stunning views in between the trees.

 All the rivers were swollen with the recent rains.

 And we were going through the major coffee growing area and there were coffee bushes everywhere.

 We arrived in Solento and found an area that specialises in fast food, cocktails and beer which was were we would be eating that evening.

 We were exploring the town and in the main plaza were several Jeeps. We would be taking one of these up into the mountains the next day. We were going on a trek and the only way to get there is by four wheel drive.

 On our way up into the mountains we followed a herd of horses being rounded up by motorcycle. There was horse riding available but we were trekking.

 We started our trek and were accompanied on the first section by a mule which was collecting milk from various farms along the track.

 The valley was beautiful, helped by some strong early morning sunlight.

 Along the skyline were some waxy palms  which we would see more of later in the day.

The path climbed into the forest and soon we were crossing streams and trying to walk around muddy sections.

 There were numerous bridges and I lost track of how many there were.

 Ans several crossings were just logs.

 Late morning after climbing high into the hills and the altitude was beginning to take its toll, we arrived at the humming bird sanctuary. There were some great sights but my spare camera wasn't up to the job and so only a few photos were worth keeping.

And the cafe at the sanctuary offered a local drink, hot chocolate with a slice of cheese in it.

We walked on to Valle de Cocoa where there are a number of tall waxy palms. Again there were horses but I was walking.

One of the tall waxy palms.

A general view of the valley through some trees.

Waxy palms on the horizon on a ridge.

More waxy palms.

Next day was a coffee plantation tour to see how the bushes are planted, cared for and finally after three years they yield a crop of red berries.

The coffee beans in various stages of production between red beans to roasted coffee.

Red beans on a bush.

The first of four layers is taken off. Then the beans are soaked and washed overnight to remove a sugar layer which is not wanted as part of the bean.

The beans are dried for a fortnight and here two people are grading the beans by hand.

Then a grinding process removes another layer.

The beans from raw green beans through mature red beans and then the various processes to remove layers and finally...

Roasting which removes the final layer and gives the coffee its taste and determines the amount of caffeine in the final product. A light roasting gives more flavour and less caffeine whilst longer roasting results in more caffeine and a less subtle flavour.

So there is a lot that goes into making a coffee so don't begrudge the cost of a bag of beans next time you are in the shops!