Morning: We’ll leave the hubbub of Quito bright and early (8:00 a.m.), driving from the grandiose Andes mountains towards the hilly, vibrant cloud forest. On our first stop, we’ll have an energizing juice surrounded by flapping hummingbirds. At the coffee finca, we’ll immerse ourselves in one of Ecuador’s finest export products: the gourmet arabica coffee. A coffee expert takes us around the plantation, showing how the red fruit is turned into a dark brew. Use all of your senses when tasting the deliciously sweet cherries, smelling, and feeling the beans in every stage of the production process. You probably know the classic coffee drinks, but we’ll also be savoring the next new trend: coffee tea, and a refreshing coffee-cherry lemonade.

Afternoon: Ever tasted 100% pure chocolate? We promise it’s not how you imagine it. We’ll taste the fleshy cacao fruit straight from its outer pod, and then we’ll take the pure cacao to create our own flavor pairings during our chocolate experiments. On a family-owned farm in Mindo, our chocolate expert will teach us how the pods are turned into different artisanal cacao products such as chocolate, nibs, cacao powder, and an ingenious bbq sauce. 

Meals included: lunch, a ton of coffee and chocolate

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJrm5PRR6fw&ab_channel=TakiriTravel