Coffee Tour in Pereira: from bean to cup with Café Los Grisales

The Coffee Tour in Pereira offered by Café Los Grisales is more than a walk through a farm — it is a complete immersion in the world of specialty coffee, from the tree that produces it to the cup that holds it. Whether you are visiting the Eje Cafetero region or a Pereira local who has never seen up close how the coffee you drink every morning is produced, this tour was designed for you.

Colombia is one of the world's great coffee producers, and the Eje Cafetero — with Pereira at its center — concentrates much of that legacy. Yet very few people who drink coffee have had the chance to walk among the coffee plants, smell the white jasmine-like blossoms that announce the harvest season, or feel the weight of a perfectly ripe red cherry. The Coffee Tour is the most direct way to bridge that gap.

What the tour includes

Our Coffee Tour in Pereira is designed as an integral experience, not a list of tourist stops. It includes:

• Farm walk: A guided tour through the coffee fields where you will learn to identify the different stages of cultivation, the varieties we work with, and the conditions that make Eje Cafetero coffee so distinctive.
• Process demonstration: You will see how depulping, fermentation, and drying are carried out. We explain the differences between washed, natural, and honey processing, and how each produces distinct cup profiles.
• Guided cupping session: The tour ends with a cupping where you will taste coffees processed in different ways, guided by a barista or certified cupper who will teach you to identify aromas, acidity, body, and aftertaste.
• History and context: Throughout the tour we share the history of our family, our relationship with the land, and the philosophy behind the bean-to-cup concept.

The step-by-step route

The tour begins at the Café Los Grisales family farm in the Eje Cafetero. The first stop is the coffee fields, where you will observe plants at different stages of development: flowers, green fruits, and ripe red cherries. During harvest season, guests can participate in selective picking, learning to distinguish fruit at the ideal moment of ripeness.

Next we move to the wet mill, where the fruit is processed. Here we explain how depulping removes the outer skin, how natural fermentation breaks down the mucilage adhered to the bean, and how the timing and temperature of washing affect the final result. We also show the difference with natural processing — where the whole cherry dries under the sun — and honey processing, where part of the mucilage is kept on the bean during drying.

The third stop is the drying and storage area, where the beans wait before heading to the roaster. This is where the coffee develops part of its aromatic potential and where humidity and ventilation must be carefully controlled.

Finally, we arrive at the cupping session. At a work table, with cups prepared to show different processing profiles, the guide leads you through the standard cupping protocol: we smell the dry grounds, then the wet, we break the crust, and we taste. For many guests, this is the first time they have truly "listened" to what a cup of coffee is telling them.

How to book

Booking the Coffee Tour in Pereira is straightforward. You can do so directly on our website or by stopping by any of our Pereira shops, where the team will walk you through available dates and times. The tour is available for small groups and can also be arranged for corporate or educational visits with customized programming.

We recommend comfortable clothing and footwear suitable for uneven terrain. The Eje Cafetero can surprise you with quick showers; a light jacket is always a good idea.

The coffee you'll taste

The cupping session is one of the most appreciated parts of the tour. We use specific lots to showcase the contrast between processes: a clean, bright washed coffee next to a deep, fruity natural, and a honey that balances body and sweetness with elegance. These are all coffees from our own farm, which means you can draw a direct connection between what you saw in the field and what you are tasting in the cup.

If the tour sparks your curiosity and you want to keep learning, we invite you to read our guide on specialty coffee in Pereira, which explains the SCA standards and the origin work behind every cup we serve in greater detail.

The Coffee Tour in Pereira is not just a tourist activity — it is a way to understand Colombia through the product that best represents it. We look forward to welcoming you.