90 Minute Coffee Tour Finca los Castanos Gran Canaria Review

Just imagine, for a moment, the sun making its warmth spread across Gran Canaria, a truly nice light breeze rustling through the big green leaves of what look like coffee plants. You might honestly be curious, as I was, about what kind of taste coffee grown on this sort of island actually has. Many people, and this is pretty true, think of going to Finca los Castanos in the beautiful Agaete Valley, and this place truly gives a rather delightful way to find out just that answer. My own visit there, as a matter of fact, really opened my eyes to seeing coffee get made from its very start, all the way to a fresh cup, right there on a place that really grows things, and that felt quite personal, you know. This is, in a way, a close look at spending around an hour and a half, sort of getting to know coffee plants face-to-face and, literally, seeing where that very nice morning coffee pretty much comes from, right there in the Canary Islands.

The entire visit, obviously, kind of lets you connect with a long past of coffee growing, something that makes it truly stand apart. You’re not just, in short, getting facts; you are sort of feeling the stories of the ground, the very hands that cared for the plants. The island’s warm atmosphere, you see, lends itself to growing things, and you can tell, quite easily, that this farm, this Finca, is definitely a spot that puts heart into its everyday work. The sun often beats down gently on the leaves, and the air itself, it almost smells of fresh earth and the green growth around you. This entire picture, truly, makes for a special memory, something a bit different than your usual sightseeing, you might agree.

Warmly Greeted: Stepping onto the Grounds of Coffee

From the moment you pretty much step inside the place they call Finca los Castanos, you instantly sense, genuinely, that you’ve kind of gone into a quiet, pretty calm section of an earlier time. This spot, as a matter of fact, seems to hold onto a sense of real peacefulness, very much unlike, honestly, some other locations you might go see that are just for showing off. We were, typically, given a really warm hello by one of the individuals who actually runs the operations there, someone truly quite proud of what they do with those small coffee seeds. This early chat, too, is pretty much like a comfortable discussion among familiar folks, telling you a little about how coffee originally got its start on this specific island, a good many years back. It’s absolutely amazing, actually, to really think that coffee trees grow at all here on this part of the earth, when you truly consider the typical growing conditions. The natural surroundings, it appears, are really good for growing these delicate sort of trees. This starting point of the tour, frankly, made everyone feel really quite welcome and truly ready to see all the interesting things they had prepared for us.

They explained, sort of in a friendly way, that cultivating coffee actually began on Gran Canaria a really long while ago, a story sort of linked to families who lived completely off this specific land for many, many different generations. You could quite plainly see, you know, how much sheer effort folks have truly put into making sure this very old way of doing things keeps going, more or less holding onto it against what seems like the regular current. The kind of talking you have at the beginning, you know, is quite frequently more like a relaxed exchange of words than a proper lesson, often sharing little parts of old stories and just a few simple things about their everyday lives, too. This very easygoing sort of conversation genuinely helped, as I was saying, to make the entire activity feel very comforting and quite a bit personal, pretty much like you were simply calling on someone’s own family property rather than visiting some kind of big spot for tourists, and that felt pretty clever.

And what’s quite interesting to learn, by the way, is that Finca los Castanos really is more than just a place to observe coffee trees. It quite precisely sits right in the Agaete Valley, a region quite known, naturally, for its truly rich dirt and a fairly mild type of weather, which, it happens, is truly ideal for getting all sorts of various things to grow, things like your oranges and also grapefruits, for example. So, the things you get told right at the start there do not simply just cover coffee but, in some respects, also talk about the especially rare characteristics of this very particular section on the entire island. You quite clearly get a true feeling, honestly, for the bigger kind of farming practices happening here. It genuinely makes you reflect, literally, about how individuals on this island have pretty much figured out how to make their own way using this very productive land for a really very extended time, truly working it with much care, right there and then.

Green Treasures: Observing the Coffee Plants Very Closely

Once you’ve had a rather nice conversation, you pretty much walk your way outside to the place where the coffee trees actually grow, quite often arranged in really tidy, long rows. It was pretty fascinating, actually, to clearly observe coffee fruits at several distinct periods of their development right on the exact same woody stem, some appearing very green, others gently changing to a rather lovely red color. Our person guiding us, who was clearly very enthusiastic about this specific line of work, carefully pulled off a round, ready-to-pick, bright red coffee cherry, simply to let us see it. Then, they simply broke it open, letting us look at the two tiny, kind of greenish seeds that were tucked, almost always, perfectly close together inside. It was rather cool, too, to sort of put one of these raw seeds into your mouth and just chew on it a little; it surprisingly had a little taste of sweet flavor, pretty much like very mild honey, but with a slight, just a little bit, trace of something bitter underneath. That unusual taste, I mean, honestly does stay with you for a while after the experience.

It’s really quite interesting, as a matter of fact, how coffee trees, like your typical green things, are just a little particular about precisely where they will happily grow, preferring locations that are quite high up and where the moisture falls at exactly the correct times, neither too much water nor too little, either. On this island, particularly, the outside conditions, it turns out, are nearly, if not absolutely, spot-on, letting these delicate plants pretty much really grow strong. We understood, you know, about the true amount of painstaking effort it genuinely takes to watch over these specific trees, the kind of very close attention that’s needed pretty much every single rotation of the sun. They were demonstrating, usually, the much older trees right next to the brand-new, smaller ones, and it kind of presents a truly full picture, honestly, of the entire growth period, right from a tiny little seed to a full plant holding many, many fruits. It was, arguably, a good deal more involved than I had, pretty much, expected it would be.

They truly went on to tell us, too it’s almost, that these more modest properties like Finca los Castanos still typically handle most of their gathering of the berries completely by hand, which is, basically, a very slow and really patient type of activity. You are taking off, kind of, each red cherry one after another, very carefully, with your own fingers. This older technique, apparently, truly means they only take the berries that are at their best stage of development, which makes for a truly very pleasant final result, or so it appears. This just a little bit more relaxed kind of handling, I mean, truly does mean more interesting flavor and a definitely better end quality all together, to be honest. It is a very noticeable difference, if you genuinely take the time to consider it, when you think about the much larger, machine-driven farms you very often hear talk about in other far-off parts of the globe, like your particularly big coffee-producing countries, where pretty much everything goes at a fairly rapid speed. This made the whole time, honestly, a bit more personal, kind of linking you closely to the hard work truly involved in such a careful process.

We spent quite a bit of time simply taking in the pleasant quietness of the coffee field itself. The sunlight would, often, make patches of bright gold on the big, deep green leaves, and if you stood still, just a little, you could hear the soft hum of small insects, or perhaps, once in a while, a tiny little bird calling out from a distant branch. This feeling of being right there, surrounded by nature and this very special plant, somehow added, honestly, so much to the real feel of the trip. You start to feel, you know, a different kind of calm, just absorbing the goodness of the air and the scenery. It really makes you appreciate, basically, how much a quiet natural place can really mean, even when you’re just looking at coffee plants.

Behind the Scenes: From Cherry to Good Coffee Bean

After we saw the plants and pretty much got a good feel for their growing life, we moved to the very important spot where the true processing, if you will, pretty much comes after the collecting: the part where they dry the seeds and then arrange them. Our guide, still looking very happy to share all his real good info, showed us around all the distinct areas, demonstrating, you know, how they carefully get rid of the outer skin, that soft part that surrounds the actual coffee bean. This process, truthfully, is performed quite quickly after the coffee fruits are taken off the plant, often using some quite straightforward pieces of equipment that just simply do the specific task without, like your big factory machines, causing too much bother or making lots of noise, either. Then, as a matter of fact, they lay the clean beans out to let them dry, typically on slightly raised tables or beds, very often under the clear sky, where the warmth of the sun and the natural breezes do a good amount of the actual drying task. You can truly, just a little, understand the very intense focus they put into this exact step, mainly because how well the beans dry out very much affects the overall goodness and taste.

We clearly observed, more or less, how they spread the clean beans out across these drying spaces, sometimes very gently turning them by hand every now and then to be truly sure they lose moisture in a perfectly balanced way. This slow and gentle kind of working method, apparently, really helps in keeping the specific natural attributes that genuinely make this particular coffee so genuinely one-of-a-kind. It is a slightly alternative way of handling things when you sort of compare it to very large industrial arrangements, which typically use giant machines to dry things out fast. This much softer way of taking moisture out, to be honest, usually means the coffee simply keeps its actual good qualities, so they told us in plain words. The information shared here was really quite nice, sort of demonstrating to you just how absolutely vital each small stage is in getting that very nice, green coffee bean perfectly ready for what will happen next. It is pretty obvious, honestly, that many small, careful undertakings truly deliver great outcomes here, making a big impact on the overall feel of the product.

The thing they do next, anyway, is the selecting process, which is, honestly, quite often completed completely by hand here, too. People will be sitting around tables, carefully choosing out any beans that look bad or any tiny bits of husk that might have been overlooked by the equipment they use. This very careful sorting, you know, helps to make certain that only the very finest and best coffee beans move on to the coming step, which is when they make them hot in the roasting machine. It is pretty much a clear demonstration, obviously, of being truly dedicated to the work, paying truly very close notice to even the very smallest aspects. They put in, as a matter of fact, a truly big amount of personal labor here, something you can really see and come to value when you pay a visit to this very specific spot. It certainly provides you, personally, with a much bigger regard for all the work that goes into your regular morning beverage, seriously, after seeing all these stages with your very own eyes.

“The small size of our farm actually allows us to keep a really close eye on every single bean. It means, you know, we can pick them just at the right moment and give them the full personal care they really need, which you might notice in the final taste.” — A guide at Finca los Castanos, quite truly putting it well.

And then there’s the process of putting the beans through a big drying cycle again, if they are not yet at the specific moisture content they really want. This second drying phase, perhaps on slightly different surfaces, is sometimes just a little bit shorter than the first, but it is just as important, basically, to prepare the beans perfectly for the heat that comes next. The whole aim here, honestly, is to achieve, you know, a very even moisture level throughout every single bean. This attention to small details is, frankly, what you come to understand about the people at this specific spot, and it helps show you why their coffee has a reputation for being quite different from others, genuinely.

From Green to Good Brown: The Roasting Spot and a Perfect Cup

And then, as a matter of fact, comes the spot where they heat the beans, which pretty much always smells, frankly, quite wonderful. This particular part is where the beans, which start off looking quite plain and are green, basically, actually change into those truly pleasant-smelling brown seeds we typically all know so well. We observed, you know, as they poured the green seeds into a rather old, quite classic sort of machine made for getting things hot. You can definitely hear it making noise while working, pretty much steadily turning the seeds around and around, and then the space in the air, by the way, fills with that distinct kind of scent of coffee getting warm. It is just a little bit of true magic, seriously, watching the outside color change from a light green to a pretty deep, truly nice brown right there in front of your own vision. They told us, too, about how the specific warmth and the exact length of time you cook the beans definitely changes the overall flavor a very large amount, making some types quite strong and others just a little bit softer on your tongue.

Our person guiding us, always looking so patient and kind, walked us through the subtle way of heating the beans, telling us, you know, that it truly is all about how dark you make the seeds and that even just a slight alteration in the temperature or how long they are heated can make the taste of your beverage truly totally different. It is like a kind of very deep natural instinct for it, honestly, trying to figure out just the perfect amount of heat for their very special sort of coffee. This specific part was really very interesting, honestly, seeing such great personal focus put into this last but very key part of the whole operation. They showed us, anyway, some varied hues of beans that had been cooked to different degrees, sort of telling us what each different shade tends to tell you about the feel and taste of the finished drink. It honestly provides you a true deep appreciation, seriously, of just how much thought goes into each single cup, truly far beyond what you might honestly typically think.

The really nice bit, pretty much, was at the very conclusion when they graciously provided us a warm cup to sip. This particular brew, too it’s almost, was coffee that was literally just made, still wonderfully warm, naturally created from the very same beans collected from their very own plants and handled right there at the location. The goodness in the cup was, you know, pretty much unlike any coffee I’ve tasted anywhere else, genuinely. It felt remarkably soft to drink, having a slightly nutty background, and actually held, strangely, a just a little bit of sweetness that genuinely stayed with you for quite a while after you finished it. They also presented, as well, a small bit of their locally made pastry to go perfectly with it, which, of course, was pretty much the absolutely ideal companion for that lovely hot beverage. Sitting there, in fact, delicately sipping that truly wonderful coffee while looking right out at the very small hills where the beans originally grew, was, well, a truly comforting and very memorable way to truly bring the whole experience to an easy finish, right there and then.

The smell in the roasting area alone is, actually, a sort of experience in itself. It is, perhaps, an inviting, warm smell that gets into everything. It is far more, truly, than just the scent of coffee; it is the aroma of work, of sun, of dedication, almost like a cozy kitchen on a chilly day. That very particular scent, I mean, honestly stays with you for hours after you leave the spot, almost clinging to your clothes in a rather pleasant sort of way. You carry, too, that beautiful scent and the feeling of warmth along with you, making the whole visit just a little bit more lasting in your memory. It really made, obviously, the entire senses-driven memory of the place quite strong and pleasant.

Helpful Information: Making Your Own Trip Just Right

So, you know, if you’re thinking seriously about going to this spot, which I pretty much very strongly advise you do, here are a few simple thoughts that might help make your specific visit to the 90-minute coffee production tour at Finca los Castanos a truly very nice and productive one. First off, as a matter of fact, genuinely remember it is a very good approach to arrange your place beforehand, maybe a few days ahead. This particular place is, pretty naturally, quite sought after by many visitors, and the times for the visits tend to get completely taken up rather quickly, especially during those busy periods, like school vacations or on Saturdays and Sundays. You can usually find a method to arrange your visit through their very own website or, sometimes, your hotel reception might be able to lend a hand with that. Just a little bit