coloumbian coffee

[ozysanj]

Hi everybody,

i noticed there is not much to say about this port as it was reopened just3 years ago..

But i didn't see any posts about coloumbian coffee.I can't remember if coffee was one of the items you can not bring into the States after the cruise,if so, at least are there any coffe shops or coffee brands you would recommend us to try while we are there..????

thanks

[GTJ]

Coffee beans are sold at the Cartagena passenger terminal. We brought coffee beans back with us, as did many other passengers, though it should be noted that our luggage was not inspected by U.S. Customs (even though we had checked the box indicated we were bringing food items with us, no relevant questions were asked).

[Appygirl]

The Juan Valdez shop is in the port probably about a 5 minute walk from where the cruise ship docked. Now I'd hate to say that and have someone else's cruise ship dock in another spot where they have a half hour hike! I'm not a coffee drinker but my husband bought 2 bags of their coffee about $10 each. I remember it was the most expensive coffee we bought and we bought local coffee at each port on our Panama cruise. He gave a bag of the Juan Valdez to a friend and kept one for himself. However our friend loved the coffee so much my husband gave him the second bag too. So it must be good stuff. They also had a stand up coffee bar there so you could buy some to drink. The shop sold other tourist souvenirs as well. There was Internet here too. If you've got good eyes you might see a 4' iguana in the nearby trees. They set food out for it.

[drew sailbum]

The coffee sold in souvenir shops is seriously overpriced compared to local shops.

 

Two 750 gram bags of good coffee sold for about COP$15.000 in the local markets such as Exito. One 500gram bag in some of the overpriced tourist shops is selling for US$20 or about COP$37.000!

 

There are two Exito shops in the old city... one a short walk from Las Bovedas.

[ozysanj]

Thank you all for the tips.. :)

[CruisinGerman]

Dear friends:

 

I wouldn't bother loading up my suitcase with coffee, which could increase the weight of luggage.

 

You can buy the same Colombian coffee (brands such as Juan Valdez, OMA, etc.) in any major city in the United States or Europe. It only costs about 10% more in the United States and Europe.

 

By the way, do try the Juan Valdez coffee shops -- Colombia's answer to Starbucks, but much better quality in my opinion. Apart from the hot coffees, their "Frappucino" type drinks are actually much better quality than Starbucks in our opinion, because they use real ice cream, and not just crushed ice and syrup, like Starbucks does. They also have an international presence in several U.S. cities and in Spain.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[themnms]

Dear friends:

 

I wouldn't bother loading up my suitcase with coffee, which could increase the weight of luggage.

 

You can buy the same Colombian coffee (brands such as Juan Valdez, OMA, etc.) in any major city in the United States or Europe. It only costs about 10% more in the United States and Europe.

 

By the way, do try the Juan Valdez coffee shops -- Colombia's answer to Starbucks, but much better quality in my opinion. Apart from the hot coffees, their "Frappucino" type drinks are actually much better quality than Starbucks in our opinion, because they use real ice cream, and not just crushed ice and syrup, like Starbucks does. They also have an international presence in several U.S. cities and in Spain.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

 

 

thanks for the input. I was thinking the same myself..I actually like flavored coffee and thats what I look for!!

[Azulann]

You certainly can bring coffee back to the US. I always bring some from local coffee cooperatives. I like Guatemala and Mexican coffee beans over Columbian beans. i plan to bring at least two lbs of beans back in my carry on

when i do the Panama cruise .

[pilotdane]

I know I'm a bit late for Themnms question but... Flavored coffees are not very common in Central and South America. The green beans are usually shipped to the US where someone else roasts them and adds the flavorings. Also, nobody is going to kill a good Columbian coffee with artificial flavorings so the really good stuff is always unflavored. Flavorings are often added to more smooth & mellow coffees like come from much of Central America. The mellow coffee lets the added flavor come through better.

 

Azulann: If you take a coffee plantation excursion they often have the really good beans that you may not be able to buy except in a higher end coffee store in The States. And, if the plantation does it's own roasting the roasted coffee from them could be much fresher than what you can buy retail in the US. If you ever have coffee 2 or 3 days after roasting it is out of this world. The aroma is incredible.

[CruisinGerman]

Dear friends:

 

If you do decide to buy coffee beans to take home, DO NOT buy them inside the "Duty Free" shop they make you pass through inside the port.

 

The prices there are about six times more than what they should be.

 

The Juan Valdez store in the port has fair prices -- the same as any Juan Valdez in town.

 

Also try any large hypermarket (Éxito or Carrefour), or major supermarket chain (Pomona, Carulla).

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[Azulann]

Pilotdane, yes both in Huatulco Mexico and Coban Guatemala I watch was they roasted the coffee beans that I then bought. Doesn't get any fresher that.

 

But the best cup of coffee I ever had was in Coban at a restraurant. It turned out to be cold press coffee. They gave me a sliver pot with the "coffee essence" and another pot with hot water. Mix it together in my cup. I thought I had died and went to heaven. It was like drinking a $50 bottle of red wine instead of $9.99 one.

I have found local coffee shops that do cold press coffee sometimes here at home.

[Scotoco]

We have family in Colombia ship us coffee all the time. All we drink is the Sello Rojo brand and you can get it very cheap there (5,500 peso = $3.00 us vs. our local bodega which charges $8.00 a bag.)