Bogota Coffee – Botany

“Here you go my beautiful boy.. ” I hear as my coffee is brought to the table. Such authentic friendly service is a rare thing and these guys have it in spades. I was looking for a cafe near the airport that served awesome coffee, and not only do they do that here, they also roast it.

With far too many options to choose from, I decided to go with something different,  something I’d never tried before, and it was the Minas Santos. Upon ordering the coffee the barista informed me that I wouldn’t like it and should try something else. Apparently it is normally drunk as a Turkish coffee and is quite popular with Eastern European “coffee enthusiasts”. (Apparently I don’t look like a Eastern European coffee drinker…. Lol)

“It just doesn’t go well with milk” she said, to which I replied “that’s great…neither do I..” so I ordered it as a long black.   🙂

When it arrived it truly was different. The first things that came to mind were cigars and nuts. There was a rich tobacco aroma and flavour that was rich and earthy with a backnote of hazelnuts. Even the texture was slightly gritty, in a good way. While it screamed for something sweet like a Greek melomakarona, none was on offer, so I managed my way through.

The experience of the coffee was added to by the surrounding customers, few of which were speaking English, and I assume arguing about politics or the like.  All that was missing were backgammon tables and a fluffy blanket of smoke lingering near the roof.

I ordered my second cup as an espresso with the house blend. While not nearly as engaging as the first, it still had a lingering tabaco flavour and aroma so I assume that one of the beans in the blend was perhaps take  a bit too far. That said, it didn’t have a char or burnt rubber element, but it was certainly unique.

From the street this cafe is unassuming, and you’d likely drive by without a  second thought, but I recommend you take the next left, park in the free parking behind the store, and give it a go. The atmosphere and service alone make this worthwhile, but what impressed me more was having something different to other coffee experiences.

These guys know who they are and are happy to take you on a journey. Only wish they were a little closer.