Café Velvet

Café Velvet is one of the pioneers of specialty coffee on Vía Primavera, and it brings a Belgian twist to Medellín's café scene. When Barista Magazine visited in 2015, the café had been open for just over a year, was owned by a Belgian pastry chef and sat across the street from Pergamino, with an ultra-modern interior that included a large video screen and a giant image of Tintin. More than a decade on it is still listed among El Poblado's leading cafés, with indoor and outdoor seating and a wide choice of brewing methods.

Behind the café is an unusual business model. Velvet handles every step of the chain with a single team: it buys coffee at origin in Colombia, exports it, imports it and roasts it, with roasteries in Itagüí, just south of Medellín, and in Jodoigne, south of Brussels. The team says it travels with the harvests twice a year, so it knows exactly whose coffee is in the hopper, and that its roasting and distribution run on 100 per cent self-generated electricity.

Coffees on offer include the house Black Velvet and Clásico blends and special lots from the Colombian producer Wilton Benítez, such as Chiroso P-16 and Colombia P-00. Ask the baristas which beans are on bar and how they recommend brewing them. The company sells its coffees online and runs cuppings by appointment at its roastery. It also operates a concept store called Voort x Velvet, which shows how far the business now reaches beyond this single café on Vía Primavera.

The café suits coffee enthusiasts and anyone exploring Vía Primavera, which is also home to Pergamino and a short walk from the restaurants and bars of Provenza. Because the two cafés face each other, visiting both Velvet and Pergamino on the same morning is an easy way to compare two Medellín coffee businesses with different origins.

Velvet is at Carrera 37 No. 8A-46 on Vía Primavera in El Poblado, close to the Celestino Boutique Hotel and The Charlee. Opening hours are not published on the company's website, so check its social media before making a special trip, and contact the team through the website about roastery cuppings.