Costa Rica for
Coffee Lovers
Across the country wafts the sharp aroma of fresh-roasted coffee beans. Costa Rica’s volcanic slopes, corduroyed with dark green coffee bushes, offer ideal conditions for growing the best beans, with fertile soil, high altitudes, and well-defined rainy and dry seasons. If you’re buzzed about coffee, this is the place to be.
t Roasted A-grade coffee beans for sale in a farm shop on a coffee estate
Shopping for the Best
The best coffee beans are sold on the estates and in specialist roasteries, such as Café Bohío in Jacó. The beans to avoid: café puro (unadulterated) or café traditional (laced with sugar), sold loose in markets.
Visit a Coffee Estate
Many estates – from small organic farms to large fincas – welcome visitors; not only can you buy the beans, but most give tours and many have an education center for visitors. A tour of an independent organic farm, like Finca Cristina (www.cafecristina.com), reveals the close symbiotic relationship between birds, lizards, and orchids and the coffee bushes they live within. On the other side of San José, every stage of cultivating and preparing coffee is explained at Costa Rican coffee mecca, the Doka Estate on the slopes of Volcán Poás.
Getting from Bean to Cup
Starting in November, coffee beans are hand picked and transported to beneficios (processing mills) to be pulped, dried, and sorted. Harvest the ripe red cherries at Finca Rosa Blanca, then reap the rewards with a tasting at Feria del Café de Frailes (www.feriadelcafe.co.cr), an annual coffee fair in the heart of the central valley with a full tasting menu.
Discover the History
Costa Rica offers unparalleled opportunities for uncovering the history of the grano de oro (golden bean). At Costa Rica’s most famous coffee brand, Café Britt, an estate tour turns into fun-filled educational theater. Nearby, Hacienda Espíritu Santo (www.espiritusantocoffeetour.com) reveals the history of coffee-growing in Costa Rica, as well as the role of the national symbol, the oxcart, that’s as eye-opening as a fresh cappuccino. History addicts can also get a fix at the off-the-beaten-track Coffee Museum (www.costaricaestatecoffee.com), at family-run Hacienda Río Jorco.
DISCOVER Costa Rica Your Way
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Drinks Caféoteca The coolest boutique café in San José takes coffee seriously. ⌂ San José ∑ cafeotecacoffee.com \ KOKi Beach Coffee Shop Come here for espresso martinis after dark. ⌂ Puerto Viejo de Talamanca ∑ kokibeach.blogspot.com \ Café Bohío Exceptional coffee, roasted on-site. ⌂ Jacó ∑ cafebohio.com \ |