Coffee is the drink that is obtained from the roasted and ground grains of the fruits of the coffee tree. Its aroma and flavor generate multiple sensations in those who consume it. Karen Attman, hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was not indifferent to her charm. EL NUEVO SIGLO spoke with “The Coffee Lady”, she, about her story, her coffee academy in Chapinero and her perception of the quality of the Colombian product.
Karen arrived in Bogotá in 2012 with her Colombian husband. Shortly after living in the capital, she started Flavors of Bogota, a website that hosts her expertise on Colombian coffee.
“I grew up in a house without coffee. My mother didn’t drink coffee, and my father rarely drank it, except in restaurants. But in the late 80s my father did something crazy. He bought a fancy electric coffee maker and a subscription to receive specialty European coffees every month by mail. It was a ridiculous expense at the time. I thought: “It’s just coffee, why pay so much?”. Inside the box was a golden bag. My father carefully opened the bag and filled the house with aromas and a richness that he had never experienced before. Real coffee. I was hooked, ”Karen relates about her first approach to coffee.
She further notes that coffee became a bond between her and her father. “We marvel at the flavors together, we enjoy sharing a cup on the weekends. We didn’t know anything about coffee, but she was delighted to find out, this drink created a bond between a teenager and her father, softened the differences between us and gave us something to agree on.
The creation of Flavors of Bogota
Karen is a writer and journalist. While researching topics on tourism and gastronomy in Colombia, she discovered the world of specialty coffees in the country.
“That world is a bit hidden. I started to investigate more and realized that coffee in Colombia has many stories that affect people’s lives and I wanted to spread the word. This is how Flavors of Bogota and the Specialty Coffee Workshops were born,” she explained.
She is the author of “Permission to slurp”, a book about specialty coffees in Colombia nominated as the Best Coffee Book in the World 2018 by the Gourmand Awards. She has also written for nearly 30 publications around the world, including CNN, Sprudge and Eater In addition, she was a coffee professor at the Universidad de la Sabana in Bogotá and currently gives talks about this drink at events, universities and schools.
Karen affirms that she is often asked who she is as a foreigner to speak properly about Colombian coffee, to which she emphatically answers that although Colombians are proud of their coffee, “they don’t know how precious it is and sometimes they need to that someone from the outside come and tell them that.”
Is Colombian coffee the best?
Karen explains from her personal and professional experience that, indeed, as heard inside and outside the country, Colombian coffee is the best quality worldwide.
“When I was young, in my mind all coffee was from Colombia. I didn’t even know that other countries grew coffee. The reason is that the National Federation of Coffee Growers did a very good job promoting Colombian coffee abroad. As a child I saw Juan Valdez on the television screen, encouraging North Americans to have a good coffee –Colombian coffee–. That is why I was convinced that Colombian coffee is the best coffee in the world”, recalls Karen.
The expert explains several reasons why, as a journalist, she argues for global recognition of high-quality coffee production in Colombia.
“First, it is because of the type of coffee that is grown. In Colombia the best species of coffee is used: arabica, which produces more complex and aromatic coffees. Also, due to the geography and location of Colombia in the world, since the country is in the part of the land called the Coffee Belt, where coffee can thrive. Similarly, the altitude of the farm where the coffee is grown affects the quality in the cup. Arabica coffee needs mountains to thrive, and in Colombia there are many mountains,” he explains.
Another reason, according to Karen, is that the soil where coffee grows has an influence, and much of the soil where coffee is grown in Colombia is volcanic soil. The increased amount of nutrients in the soil contributes to better flavors in the cup.
Partial shade helps produce better coffees, which Karen explains is more environmentally friendly. More than half of the coffee plantations in Colombia are under shade. How the coffee is picked is important, because only the ripe cherries are required to be selected. Since Colombian coffee is harvested by hand, it is of better quality.
“Care with coffee processes is extremely important, and in Colombia washing is used, which is recognized as a process that produces a smoother and more pleasant coffee. When farmers have more knowledge about coffee, from understanding the health of the soil to how to be careful with the timing and manner of fermentation, better coffee is produced. In Colombia there is a lot of education available for the coffee farmer so that he can produce the best coffee possible,” added Karen.
The passion for coffee and family
Karen maintains that although she has had unique experiences with coffee, trying hundreds that meet high quality standards, her best memories are related to the connection she has generated with other people through this drink.
“I have had coffees prepared by world champion baristas, I have tried coffees that cost hundreds of dollars a pound, I have been a judge in international coffee championships; but I believe that our best experiences with food or drink have more to do with who is around us at the time. Family, dear friends, a moment to share and continue to love. Those are the best coffee experiences we can all have,” she noted.
Coffee workshops in Bogotá
Flavors of Bogota Specialty Coffee Experiences is the Academy where Karen gives workshops to tourists and locals, related to the history of coffee in Colombia and its cultural significance.
“Many people visit Colombia and never discover those stories. How sad to leave the country and still not understand how coffee has affected the lives of millions of people here. Don’t waste your precious time in the sea of coffee information. You can learn the true meaning of coffee in Colombia with us”, says Karen.
Interested persons may obtain more information through the Flavors of Bogota web portal.