Coffee farm tour in Medellín: Harvest, process and taste

Step into local coffee culture by harvesting beans and tasting fresh brews on the farm

A coffee farm activity in Medellín where you pick beans on La Finca La Arrinconada, watch the full roasting and grinding process, and taste the result with a professional barista. The farm is 40 minutes outside the city in San Sebastián de Palmitas at 1,750 meters elevation. Round-trip hotel transfer, typical regional lunch, loaned work attire and a souvenir are included.

The experience

The activity starts with a pickup from your hotel and a drive to La Finca La Arrinconada, a family farm in the hills above Medellín. You'll get a welcome drink and a quick introduction to Colombian coffee history, then change into the typical work gear (poncho, hat, machete cover and basket) before heading into the crops. The farm sits at 1,750 meters, and you'll walk roughly 500 meters through the hillside to see how the plants grow and how they're harvested.

Once in the fields, you pick coffee beans yourself in a harvesting contest. The winner gets a prize. You'll also visit the seedbeds to watch how new plants start from seed. Then the beans you picked move through the processing stages right in front of you: pulping to remove the fruit, drying, roasting over heat, and grinding into powder. A professional barista walks you through different brewing methods and you taste the coffee you just harvested, prepared three ways. The whole sequence takes about four hours and shows you exactly why the same bean tastes different depending on how it's handled.

Lunch is fiambre paisa, the typical dish of the region, served with dessert. Before heading back to your hotel, there's time to browse the farm shop if you want to buy more coffee to take home. The guide speaks English or Spanish, and the farm welcomes children from age one (infants sit with an adult) and service animals.

What’s included

• Round-trip hotel transfer.
• loaned work attire (poncho, hat, machete cover, basket).
• visit to coffee plantations and seedbeds.
• coffee harvesting and a picking contest.
• full processing demonstration (pulping, drying, roasting, grinding).
• coffee tasting with a professional barista using multiple methods.
• fiambre paisa lunch with dessert.
• souvenir coffee.
• access to the farm shop.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

AgesAdult (18 to 59 years) · Senior (60 to 70 years) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (1 to 2 years)

GroupUp to 20

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 16 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Finca La Arrinconada

Is this one for you?You harvest and process the beans yourself, so the tasting reveals exactly what you shaped, not just what others made.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (3 to 12 years); Infant (1 to 2 years).

What exactly do I do on the coffee farm? Is it just watching, or do I actually pick the beans?

You pick the coffee yourself during the harvest, competing in a picking contest where the winner gets a prize. You also see the seedbeds where new plants start, then watch the beans you picked move through pulping, drying, roasting and grinding before tasting them with a barista.

How far is the farm from Medellín and what's the walk like?

La Finca La Arrinconada is 40 minutes from the city in San Sebastián de Palmitas. The farm sits at 1,750 meters elevation and includes a hill walk of about 500 meters through the coffee crops, so moderate fitness and comfortable shoes matter.

Is lunch included, and what do I eat?

Yes, lunch is fiambre paisa, the typical regional dish, served with dessert and coffee tastings. The meal is part of the four-hour activity.

Do I need to bring work clothes, or are they provided?

The farm loans you everything you need (poncho, hat, machete cover and basket), so you just show up in comfortable clothes and shoes.

How does the coffee tasting work?

A professional barista prepares the coffee you picked using different brewing methods and walks you through how each one changes the taste. You taste the same beans prepared three ways.

Is hotel pickup included in the price?

Yes, round-trip transfer from your hotel is included. The driver picks you up and brings you back after the activity ends.