Colombia produces some of the finest coffee in the world, and I’ve had the opportunity to drink their amazing coffee right at the source, as well as taste the coffee cherries that the beans grow inside and follow the entire harvesting, processing, and roasting process.
Tinto is not fine Colombian coffee. In fact, tinto comes from the low-quality beans that don’t get shipped out of country and are usually turned into instant coffee. Tinto itself literally means “ink”, which describes its appearance and flavor. It’s thick, syrupy sweet, lukewarm, and served in tiny plastic cups on the street.
But Colombians are completely happy with their tinto, and it has become a popular beverage and a social practice. Walk down any major street in a Colombian city, and you’ll eventually find men pushing carts with colorful thermos bottles containing the ubiquitous beverage.
The coffee may be pretty bad, and the experience of buying it off a thermos-toting stranger on the street might seem a little sketchy, but it’s a uniquely Colombian experience that you must try.
