📍Hija Mia Cafe, Medellín

Double Espresso at Hija Mia Cafe

On my third day in Medellín, or second full day, I walked out of the AirBnB with a simple goal: find coffee. I loved all the coffee I had the day before at IMAGO and Urbania Café. I had shortlisted coffee places in the neighborhood I was staying before leaving. This was the next one up.

I walked up a short hill and a few blocks to get here. It was already about 80°F and sunny. The place has windows and doors that were fully open. Other than the roof, it basically looked like it was outdoors in the side of a hill. It was packed. The outside benches and tables were filled with lively conversation. The 3 or 4 tables inside all had groups of patrons. Luckily, the back corner table opened as we walked in.

We were motioned to sit wherever. Not that there was much of a choice. We got a large printed and laminated menu with food listed. The wall behind the coffee counter had all the beverages in chalk. Unexpectedly, the list contained smoothies. While Medellín isn't the first place I think of when I think tropical, a lot of fresh fruit is grown in Colombia.

Hija Mia roasts their own beans like many in the area. It's what makes the coffee scene so exciting. In this case, they locally source beans and roast them fresh. That freshness comes through in pretty much every cup you have here. They do two roasts: the Rebelde blend, rebel in english, and the Cuidad Bolivar, named after the city.

Normally, I want a filter coffee in the morning but I also ordered a smoothie. The first thing to come was, thankfully, the double espresso. This was made with the Rebelde blend. Despite some mild bitterness I got some darker caramel and chocolate forward notes.

I ordered the mango smoothie. It had banana, dragon fruit, and coconut water in it. It also came topped with desiccated coconut. This was thick and banana forward. I don't think it had any added sugar, at least I couldn't taste any. It satisfied me and I believe my body thanked me. This wouldn't be the last time I had smoothie on the trip. I went back to Hija Mia and got this to go a couple times.

Wrapping up my morning at Hija Mia Cafe, I ordered the pancake. After I ordered, I realized the pancake was from a mix. I didn't mind it in this case. The pancake was really a base for the nuts, seeds, and fresh fruit. It came topped with mascarpone that was creamy and lightly sweet. The pancake itself was cooked well with little crispy bits on the edges. For a boxed mix, the pancake was tender and not dry.

Cutting into this, the center opened like a piñata with pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds spilling out. At times, it felt like I was just eating fruit with nuts and seeds. The strawberries and blueberries were incredibly fresh. Somehow, the pancake felt nourishing with all the toppings. Like everything I had at Hija Mia, it was the health conscious option of everything nearby.

A Colombian interpretation of pancakes, perhaps somewhat like an arepa, would have been interesting to try and I hope to find something like that the next time I visit Colombia.

If you enjoy reading these as much as I enjoy sharing them, please consider buying me a coffee. I might just write about it. ☕ Buy me a coffee.

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