coffee – Costa Rica 2008

Coffee Lesson on the Road

Dec 29 Tagged with: coffee, flora, On the road

Dec 292008

Coffee Plantations

The tour officially kicked off this morning with our guide, Paul, and bus driver, Marcos.

Today’s primary adventure was a trip to the Poas Volcano. The hour long bus ride wound across the valley through three different cities, then up the volcano to 8800 feet, about a mile above the valley floor. Along the way we passed through miles and miles of coffee plantations. We learned a lot about this beautiful crop. For example:

All coffee grown in Costa Rica for export must be Arabica.
In the ‘30’s (?) the government gave away land and coffee plants to families that wanted to start a farm. The goal was to create a major coffee industry, but to have it be owned by many citizens, not by a few large landholders or companies.
The best coffee is grown between 4000 and 6500 feet elevation and it loves volcanic soil, making these slopes of Costa Rica ideal for the crop.
Costa Rica grades their coffee in three levels. Level 1 is the finest and commands the highest price. Level 3 is not allowed to be exported, and is generally what the Costa Rican population drinks. Level 2 is also exported, but is a lower grade than level 1. Much of Level 2 goes to Columbia and Brazil, where it is mixed with their lower grade beans to bring the overall quality up, and thus the price.

Britt Coffee, and Back to San Jose

Jan 05 Tagged with: coffee, hotel, On the road, San Jose

Jan 052009

The final stop was a tour of the Britt coffee plant, which was very entertaining. They have a small coffee plant field that you walk though with two guides who basically do a comedy routine while educating you about the plants, the beans and the process from fruit to roasted bean. The last part of the tour is in a small theater where they reenact coffee’s history in a campy and humorous play. Lots of fun, but I liked the coffee we bought in Fortuna much better.

Britt coffee plant.

San Jose traffic.

San Jose rainbow.

Dinner tonight was the group’s last time together, so it was a more formal meal at the top of the hotel we stayed at. The Holiday Inn is the second tallest building in San Jose, so the view from the 17th floor after dark was wonderful.