A Colombian coffee farm tour follows the coffee from plant to cup, and the vocabulary follows the same path: finca (farm), cereza (ripe cherry), beneficio (processing), despulpar (remove the pulp), secado (drying), pergamino (parchment coffee), trilla (hulling) and catación (cupping). Learn them in that order, and your host's explanations will click into place even if your Spanish is basic.
Key takeaways
- Coffee words come in a natural sequence: the farm, the plant, the harvest, processing, milling and tasting.
- Pergamino is the key word for Colombian farmers. It is the dried bean in its parchment, and it is how most farms sell their coffee.
- Beneficio means processing, not "benefit." It is both the steps and the place where they happen.
- A few tasting words (aroma, acidez, cuerpo, dulzor) let you talk about the cup with your host.
- Some words vary by region. If something sounds new, ask "¿Qué significa?" (What does it mean?).
Do not try to memorize everything. Skim it the night before, then keep it open on your phone during the tour. Each section matches a stage of a typical farm visit.
The farm and the plant
| Spanish | Meaning | In context |
|---|---|---|
| finca | Farm, rural property | A finca cafetera is a coffee farm |
| caficultor / cafetero | Coffee grower | Cafetero also means anything coffee-related, and someone who loves coffee |
| cafetal | Coffee field or plantation | "Vamos al cafetal" means let's go to the coffee rows |
| cafeto / mata de café | Coffee plant | Mata is the everyday word you will hear most |
| variedad | Variety | Castillo, Caturra, Colombia, Típica, Geisha |
| almácigo / vivero | Seedling nursery | Where young plants grow before going to the field |
| chapola | Young coffee seedling | Named for the butterfly-like first pair of leaves |
| sombra / sombrío | Shade | Café bajo sombra is shade-grown coffee |
| guadua | A giant native bamboo | Common on coffee farms for building and erosion control |
| altura / msnm | Altitude / meters above sea level | Often quoted when discussing quality |
| flor / floración | Flower / flowering | Coffee flowers are white and smell like jasmine |
For the story behind those variety names, see our guide to Colombian coffee varieties.
The harvest
| Spanish | Meaning | In context |
|---|---|---|
| cosecha | Harvest | The main harvest season |
| mitaca / traviesa | Smaller secondary harvest | Terms vary by region |
| cereza | Coffee cherry, the whole fruit | Cereza madura is ripe; cereza verde is unripe |
| pepa / grano | Bean, seed | Pepa is informal and very common in Antioquia |
| madura / pintón / verde / sobremadura | Ripe / turning / unripe / overripe | Pickers aim for madura |
| recolector / recolectora | Coffee picker | Also called cosechero or chapolero in some areas |
| recolectar / coger | To pick | Coger is the normal verb in Colombia |
| coco / canasto | Picking basket tied at the waist | Frees both hands for picking |
| bulto / costal | Sack | Filled cherries are carried in bultos |
| kilo / pesar | Kilo / to weigh | Pickers are commonly paid by the kilo |
To time your visit for picking season, read the best time to visit a coffee farm in Colombia.
Processing: the beneficio
In coffee, beneficio means post-harvest processing, and also the building where it happens. Most Colombian coffee is washed, so this is the sequence you will usually see.
- Despulpar (to depulp): the despulpadora (depulping machine) squeezes the beans out of the cherry skin and pulp.
- Pulpa (pulp): the removed fruit, often composted and returned to the fields as abono (fertilizer).
- Mucílago / baba (mucilage): the sticky, sweet layer still clinging to the beans. Baba literally means slime, and you will hear it often.
- Fermentación (fermentation): beans rest in a tanque (tank) so the mucilage breaks down. Timing matters for flavor.
- Lavado (washing): beans are washed to remove the loosened mucilage. Café lavado means washed coffee.
- Clasificar (to sort): floating beans (flotes or vanos) are separated, since they are usually defective.
| Process name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| lavado | Washed: fruit removed, fermented, washed, dried |
| natural | Natural: whole cherry dried with the fruit on |
| honey / miel | Honey: skin removed, some mucilage left on during drying |
| fermentación anaeróbica | Anaerobic fermentation, in sealed, low-oxygen tanks |
For how each process changes flavor, see washed, natural and honey coffee in Colombia.
Drying, pergamino and trilla
| Spanish | Meaning | In context |
|---|---|---|
| secado | Drying | Secado al sol is sun drying |
| marquesina | Covered drying structure, often with a clear plastic roof | Protects beans from rain while letting in sun |
| patio / camas africanas | Drying patio / raised drying beds | Raised beds improve airflow |
| secadora / silo | Mechanical dryer | Used on larger farms or in rainy weather |
| humedad | Moisture content | Farmers dry coffee to a target humidity before selling |
| pergamino | Parchment coffee: the bean inside its papery husk | Café pergamino seco (CPS) is what most farmers sell |
| carga / arroba | Traditional units of weight | Still used when farmers talk about prices |
| trilla | Hulling, dry milling | Removes the parchment; done at a trilladora |
| café verde / almendra | Green coffee | The raw bean after trilla, ready to export or roast |
| excelso / supremo | Export grades by bean size | Supremo uses larger screen sizes |
| pasilla | Lower-grade beans separated in sorting | Historically sold for domestic use |
Those grade terms are covered in depth in supremo vs. excelso.
Roasting and tasting
| Spanish | Meaning |
|---|---|
| tostión / tueste | Roast (clara = light, media = medium, oscura = dark) |
| tostadora / tostar | Roaster / to roast |
| molienda / moler | Grind / to grind (en grano = whole bean, molido = ground) |
| catación | Cupping, the professional tasting method |
| catador / catadora | Professional cupper |
| taza | Cup; also the overall cup quality ("buena taza") |
| aroma / fragancia | Aroma of brewed coffee / fragrance of dry grounds |
| acidez | Acidity, brightness |
| cuerpo | Body, mouthfeel |
| dulzor | Sweetness |
| notas | Flavor notes (frutales, florales, a chocolate, a caramelo) |
| retrogusto / posgusto | Aftertaste |
| colador de tela | Cloth filter, a traditional brewing tool |
Want to know what happens at the cupping table? Read what a cupping session is.
Pests, disease and quality words
- roya: coffee leaf rust, a fungal disease that attacks leaves.
- broca: the coffee berry borer, a small beetle that bores into cherries.
- resistente: resistant, as in "variedad resistente a la roya."
- renovación: field renovation, replanting old or susceptible plants.
- zoca / zoquear: cutting a plant back to its stump so it regrows vigorously.
- defecto: defect in a bean, such as broken, insect-damaged or over-fermented.
Useful phrases for the tour
- ¿Qué variedad es esta? Which variety is this?
- ¿A qué altura estamos? What altitude are we at?
- ¿Cuánto tiempo fermentan el café? How long do you ferment the coffee?
- ¿Venden el café en pergamino o tostado? Do you sell coffee as parchment or roasted?
- ¿Puedo probar un poquito? Can I taste a little?
- ¿Qué notas tiene? What flavor notes does it have?
- ¿Cuándo se tostó? When was it roasted?
- ¿Puedo tomar una foto? May I take a photo?
- Muchas gracias por recibirnos. Thank you so much for having us.
FAQ
Do I need to speak Spanish for a coffee farm tour?
Not necessarily. Many tours near Medellín can be arranged with an English-speaking guide or interpreter. But knowing a dozen coffee words helps you follow the host, ask better questions and connect with the family, even when someone is translating.
What is the difference between cereza, grano and pergamino?
Cereza is the whole ripe coffee fruit. Grano is the bean or seed inside. Pergamino is the bean still wrapped in its papery parchment layer after the fruit has been removed and the coffee dried; it is the form most Colombian farmers sell.
What does beneficio mean on a coffee farm?
In coffee, beneficio means the processing of the cherries after harvest, and also the place where it happens: depulping, fermenting, washing and drying. A beneficio húmedo is wet processing; trilla, or dry milling, usually happens later at a separate mill.
What is pasilla?
Pasilla refers to lower-grade beans separated out during sorting, such as broken, small or defective beans. Historically it was a large part of the coffee sold for domestic consumption in Colombia.
How do I say I like a coffee in Spanish?
Try 'Me encanta este café' (I love this coffee) or 'Está muy rico' (It is delicious). To ask about flavor, say '¿Qué notas tiene?' (What notes does it have?).
Plan a coffee farm day from Medellín
Want to practice these words with a real coffee family? Tell us your Spanish level and whether you would like an interpreter, and we will help you plan a visit that fits.
Plan a coffee farm day