Caffeine and Crafts

7/18/16

By Meliza 'Lemon Balm' Brush

Me encanta Bogotaaaaaaaaa. I contacted one of Bold Beans coffee bean suppliers and he agreed to meet up to show us some of Colombias best coffee houses.  We started the 3 mile walk through the city before catching a cab to the delight of the younger members of the group.  We arrived at Sebastian's coffee shop, Libertario, and soon as I glazed into his coffee colored eyes I was hooked.  His chest hair billowing out of his floral blouse, tight acidstone washed jeans and Fabioesque tresses made it hard to focus on his melodic voice as he discussed the gross net product quotas of organic, fair trade, free market coffees on the global surplus trade imbalance and suppression of currency exchange on third party consumer supply chains.  But his velvety luscious pour-over, nitro cooled, single batch/single origin double macchiato with palette cleansing carbonated water brought me back down to earth. Geez what a guy.

During the first four hours talking to him about proper grain size to quantity of pressurized distilled mountain infused water ratios, the other members of the group sat patiently. It wasn't until hours 5,6, and 7 did the natives become restless and slowly inch their way out the door.  Only the thought of old grandmas dilapidated balls of yarn and rusty brooches being sold under a bridge overpass could break the spell and allow me to leave the coffee shop with the other less enthused members.

We walked to a another coffee shop recommended by 'the exalted one' Sebastian, before high tailing it across town to make it in time to go on a guided graffiti tour.  We arrived with time to spare due to Andrews amazing sense of direction, deft skill at navigation, savvy bargaining, incredible leadership, punctuality, caring support, ability to carry a stroller and baby and purchase an empanada with one hand and speak perfect, regionally sensitive Colombian Spanish. Geez what a guy....

With the extra time and impending rain clouds we ducked into a cafe across the street from the rendezvous spot for the tour to get a little snacker.  We ordered ceviche, fried yucca and a Bogota speciality, called Ajiaco, a chicken soup with corn, cream, capers, and some other stuff. Andrew in his infinite wisdom ordered another Colombian speciality called aguardiente, a licorice flavored liquor. K had a cream of shrimp soup and Nevin got the chicken nuggets.  As the rain fell we watched 20 people trudge miserably behind the tour guide through the window of the cafe and decided to skip the tour.  We instead decided to visit the Botero museum. Fernando Botero was a Colombian artist known for painting comical portraits of fat naked people.  We wandered around this incredible museum while the rain persisted outside.  This is a truly world class museum with Picasso, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Dali pieces but the Boteros were our favorite.

Next andrew led a death march up the hill to the cable cars that lead up to the mountain that overlooks Bogota at over 10,000ft called Monserrate.  The panoramic views of the city and valley are awesome.  But all that picture taking took its toll and we decided we needed a hot beef injection, so we headed to the world famous steakhouse, Andres Carne de Res. It's 5 floors of the hardest to describe collection of weird and incredible kitschy wacky stuff serving some of the most delicious cuts of meats in the world.  The menu is 50 pages and weighs a couple pounds and is filled with tons and tons of amazing meat choices and preparations.  We ordered a bottle of house red wine, salad, beef tenderloin with potato stuffed tomato, top sirloin with a wine sauce with Colombian creole potatoes. And topped off with tres leches and chocolate chip cookie cake.  Fat and happy we returned home sad that Kennedi and I would say 'bon voyage' to Colombia tomorrow.