Colombia, blessed with mountains and fruits, has the perfect weather conditions to produce the best coffee of the world. Thanks to the Andean mountains, when it comes to flavors, variety is our national seal. Everywhere in the country you’ll find many options for tasting good quality coffee. These great options are called “origin” coffees because their flavors are linked to the conditions of the place where they are from.

What you must know about Coffee in Bogota

Most people would believe that the best coffee shops are in the coffee areas of the country, but the truth is quite different. Of course, in the coffee region you’ll find great shops, some surrounded by amazing views, but big cities like Bogota, give you the opportunity to enjoy a blooming industry.

You can explore specialized coffee laboratories that will change completely your perception about the beverage. Also, experience new ways of tasting and identifying flavors. Visiting one of the shops of this list may change the way you make and drink coffee.

Even though you may not visit them all, here you’ll find the best coffees in Bogotá, all in different locations, with many options to choose from.

Here are the best coffee shops you must know when in Bogota. Just remember they’re not ranked.

  1. Varietale

One of the most popular and beloved. This coffee shop has become an icon when it comes to coffee in Bogota. You can find it in La Candelaria, in Chapinero, and in the airport!

What’s so special about this place, and why is it one of the best? First of all, their shops are ideal for a peaceful evening or afternoon. Also, in their menu you’ll find teas, cakes (we definitely recommend the chocolate cake), sandwiches, smoothies, frapes, and we can go on and on. This shop is great for any time of the day, and any type of meeting.

Of course, their specialty is the coffee, and the many methods they offer. You can choose coffee from at least three farms in the country, as well as the type of extraction. If you’re lucky enough, you may go on the day they roast the coffee beans for their own production, given that they work directly with farmers from all over Colombia.

If you’d like to taste unique flavors, keep in mind that the owners of this shop educate farmers so that their coffee will be as special as possible. Then they buy it for a fair price and promote the coffee production of these independent farmers. If you see the opportunity, visit Varietale, even if it is in the airport, where their products keep the top quality.

  1. Café San Alberto

This coffee is famous for being one of the best of the country, as well as it has been internationally awarded. In fact, it’s the only Colombian coffee that has received the iTQi Crystal Taste Award.

Their production comes from the coffee region of the country and has evolved to be outstanding. The first shop they opened was in their natal farm, in Quindío, along with a coffee laboratory, and years later they expanded to Cartagena, and then Bogotá.

This café was born with the idea of being the luxury coffee of Colombia. Bit by bit, their farm expanded, covering a big area of the mountain where the original house was located. Their plantations can reach up to 1.800mts above the sea level.

What’s so unique about this place, aside from their quality, is the coffee rituals you can find, which we totally recommend. They have crafted amazing experiences that invite you to taste every cup of coffee in a special way. For example, one of their most popular experiences is the Coffee Baptism, where you’ll learn about the particular characteristics of specialty coffee through your senses.

You can find their shops in Usaquen, inside the Gold Museum, and one block away from the Gold Museum, in the Avianca building.

  1. Café Amor Perfecto

The perfect love coffee wasn’t always a coffee shop. This place originally was a flower shop, but its owner started making such a good coffee that it became a reference point in the city.

As a fun fact, the owner of this shop learned how to make a good Colombian coffee in London, when he went to flower fair and had the opportunity to taste the true flavor of the coffee. By that time, it was the 90’s, there was a law that forbade the national coffee shops from buying good quality coffee beans because everything had to be exported.

Little by little, the owner of Amor Perfecto bought the good quality coffee that couldn’t be exported and started dedicating his days to offering great Colombian coffee in his shop, that soon became exclusive for the hot beverage. Once the law was changed, this shop was one of the first ones to buy good quality coffee beans from small farmers, that have since offered the best of their production to this shop.

You can find them in Usaquen, Chapinero and most of the fairs that take place in Bogotá. If you visit the shop in Chapinero, you’ll be able to see their laboratory through the glass that separates the secrets of their coffee from the customers.

  1. Catación Pública

A magical shop, a dream coffee. This shop has specialized in the roasting part of the coffee making process. Of course, they make sure the bean is the best, but when it comes to roasting, they have dedicated their efforts to it.

The owner of this shop spent 15 years working alongside farmers, learning about coffee and the best practices to obtain the greatest flavor. Later he travelled the world to know what made an amazing coffee amazing. With all this knowledge, he built a roasting laboratory in his coffee shop, located in Usaquen, where he dedicates most of his time to exploring the wonders of coffee.

The particular thing about this shop is the many places where they get the coffee from, and their special editions. On the other hand, the baristas in the shop always try to communicate the magic of the coffee making to those who want to learn.

So, if you want to learn about coffee, taste the true Colombian flavor, and maybe buy a special coffee, that you won’t see anywhere else, this is the right place to visit.

  1. Libetario

A unique cup of coffee that comes from paradise. This coffee shop has two locations: one in Zona G and other in Quinta Camacho, both a great representation of the flavor that this coffee offers.

This coffee shop was born out of the idea of giving a great product to real coffee lovers. In order to make this happen, they produce some of their own coffee beans in a farm not so far from Bogotá. There they control all the conditions to obtain the best coffee, which is also exported. As a plus, the farm is also an ecohotel, where you can live an immersive coffee experience.

In the shop you’ll find coffee from their farm, from Tolima, Santa Marta and Huila, which have been carefully selected and produced so that you can appreciate new extraordinary flavors. Also, one of the most outstanding properties of their coffees, is their sustainability: their farm promotes agro-ecological processes, and 3% of their profits are destined to reforestation.

We could continue this list with more and more shops that have joined this new era of Colombian Coffee. Nonetheless, here we picked the best of the best so that you can visit any of these and taste an unforgettable coffee for sure. Which one will you try first?