Two items in my kitchen cupboard are not essential but certainly seem to be: coffee and chocolate. Yes, I could live without them – though not too happily.
I’ve also noticed that combining them produces double the happiness. It’s something I did recently by teaming up with Suzie Hoban from the Colombian Chocolate Club for an interview with Richard McColl on Colombia Calling, the top English-language radio show in Colombia.
We did the chocolate-coffee themed podcast at the headquarters of the Colombian Chocolate Club. That’s where Suzie, a university lecturer on the subject of cacao, brings her chocolate knowledge to the public with tastings that feature 100% Colombian products.
So yes, the Coffee Lady got together with the Chocolate Lady to talk about two of our passions.
With the emblematic sound of Bogota in the background (rain pouring down) as well as the more cheerful sound of breaking chocolate among friends, we spoke about the closely related subjects of cacao and coffee.
The interview took us around the country to little-known regions and even into the future as we discussed what these two products mean to Colombia.
We talked about chocolate in Colombia…
- What’s new in the high-quality Colombian cacao scene?
- What similarities are there between cacao and coffee?
- What is a traditional cacao farm?
- Why is Colombian cacao still an ‘invisible’ product?
- How do Colombians show their generosity in the world of chocolate – and why aren’t they afraid to share their secrets?
And we talked about coffee in Colombia…
- What makes specialty coffee special?
- Who is attracted to our coffee experiences?
- Why did a foreigner set up a coffee shop tour in Colombia?
- What are ‘exotic’ varieties of coffee and why should you try them?
- Why is taking a coffee tour or chocolate tasting enormously different from doing it on your own?
- How can you help specialty coffee and chocolate producers?
If you’re looking for gifts to take back home with you or tips on what to do with friends and family that visit you in Bogota, don’t miss this episode.
Also, find out why Suzie considers Permission to Slurp to be the perfect book to help you prepare for your visit to Colombia.
Listen to the podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud and Stitcher.
Want to learn more about chocolate or coffee in Colombia?
Get the details about the Flavors of Bogota Coffee Experiences.
Learn more about Colombian chocolate with the Colombian Chocolate Club.
