When I first started planning my trip to Bogotá, I was super excited to experience the café culture. Colombian coffee is world-renown and I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to try as many different blends and beans as possible! During my initial research, I discovered that despite coffee being the dominate crop in Colombia since the 1800s, the vast majority of it was exported to other countries. Native Colombians drank coffee made from pasilla – or lower quality, defective beans that were picked too early, broken, or overcooked.

In recent years, however, a third wave of coffee culture arose, embracing artisanal coffees. Colombians are now paying more attention to the coffee that they drink themselves, keeping more of the beans for themselves. Many new coffee shops have opened, serving delicious coffees from local Colombian farms, where coffee is hand-picked during biannual harvests.

We had many excellent cups of coffee during our time in Bogotá. If you’re looking for the best of the best, I’ve made a handy list of the four must-try cafés in Bogotá!

A visit to Colombia is not complete without a visit to Juan Valdez Orígenes. Created to be the public face of the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation in the 1950s, Juan Valdez is perhaps the most well-known man in the history of coffee. The cafés have become the most popular coffee chain of the country. You can find Juan Valdez cafés all over Bogotá and you’re always guaranteed a delicious cup of coffee.

One of our favorite cafés was Azahar Coffee Company, a chic café located in the Parque 93 area. Their menu offers an all-day breakfast and lunch menu, served alongside coffee sourced directly from local farmers. They pride themselves on paying fair and stable prices to the local Colombian farmers, while ensuring the Colombians can enjoy the products of their own country’s labor.

Another top café is Colo Coffee Roasters, a beautiful café in the Usaquén area that offers training and certifications along with delicious coffee. Colo divides their beans into three categories – each highlighting the versatility and quality of the country’s coffee: Diversos, Ancestros, and Contemporaneos. Their beans are grown all over Colombia, but all roasted in their Usaquén store.

And lastly, Amor Perfecto Café, a café that opened in 1997, with the aim to revolutionize the way that coffee was served in Colombia. Amor Perfecto sources their beans from small, local specific growers and is one of Colombia’s first specialty coffee shops. Their beans are handpicked and roasted at the origin, then delivered to Bogotá.

A honorable mention to Café San Alberto. If you’re visiting the Museo del Oro, stop by the branch there and enjoy a cup of Colombia’s most award winning coffee.