October 29, 2018
Colleen Callahan
Looking for the Ultimate Coffee Experience? How About a Coffee Plantation Tour?
If you love coffee, a coffee tour might be right up your alley. More than just visiting coffee shops in some city, coffee tourism has become a big-ticket experience.
Cafe Crawls
Don’t get me wrong, going on a cafe crawl can definitely be a fun time for coffee lovers. With the myriad of coffee shops and their different decor, coffee offerings, and even kitschy ideas that draw you in, a cafe crawl is a wonderful way to learn about the coffee shops in your city or to learn more and experience a city you are visiting, as well as an opportunity to try popular coffees and trending coffee drinks at each establishment you visit.
Check out your city’s local events for a cafe or coffee shop crawl OR find out the top 10 cafes in your city of choice and craft your own crawl. Make sure you choose one or two that are off the beaten path to get the full experience of the city.
Coffee Shops Abroad
You can even visit some incredible coffee shops in your worldly travels, especially in cities known for their coffee scene. Like Seattle, WA in the US, there are cities around the globe known for their coffee. Of course, there are places like Paris, France and Rome, Italy, but did you know other big, international cities also have a busy coffee scene? Vienna, Austria and Melbourne, Australia are coffee hotspots as are Reykjavik, Iceland and Bogota, Colombia. Even Kenya is getting in the coffee shop game with Nairobi leading the charge.
Coffee Plantation Tours
If seeing a working farm in action sounds like a must see, maybe traveling to a coffee plantation would be a good fit for you. As Hawaii is the only location in the United States where coffee can grow well, A great place to start your coffee tour is with a trip to Hawaii to see the Kona and Maui coffees being grown and processed. If you already have a trip to Hawaii planned, consider adding in a coffee plantation tour.
If you wish to travel outside the US, there are plenty of plantations worldwide taking advantage of coffee tourism. Costa Rica, Colombia, Jamaica, the Caribbean, Central and South America, India, Indonesia, and even Africa all have tourist programs at coffee farms where, depending on the time of year, you can see the coffee plants growing, the cherries being harvested, and the various stages of processing from cleaning to drying. Some plantations will even let you participate if you wish.
There are opportunities to help pick the cherries, rake beans, and even sort them. If that doesn’t appeal, you can simply be a spectator. Typically, after the conclusion of the tour there is a coffee tasting and you can try the plantation’s coffee.
If you travel often and are looking for a unique destination or if you are saving up for a trip of a lifetime, consider visiting a coffee plantation. The best way to find a tour you will enjoy is to start with your favorite coffee and where it is grown. Search for coffee plantation tours in that specific area. Be safe! Before booking your travel, check to make sure the area you want to visit is safe. For example, the current climate in Yemen, the birthplace of coffee, is dangerous. Though this might be a desirable destination, it would be best to stay away and choose someplace more hospitable.
Safe choices for first time coffee tours are Hawaii and Jamaica. These primarily tourist areas already cater to and are prepared for tourists. They might not be as rustic as some other countries, but the experience is still authentic.
Would you be interested in touring a coffee plantation? Have you already toured a plantation? Let us know in the comments!
