Costa Rican Coffee
Those who are in their Costa Rica vacation will undoubtedly enjoy Costa Rica’s mountain grown coffee as it is high-grade and world famous. The country ranks ninth among the world’s coffee producers. Costa Rica boasts of its full-bodied Tarrazú, and its Orosi Valley blends with their clean bold taste. The Costa Rican coffee has a distinctive acidity and it has traces of smokiness. The harvest is done from November to January, much like in North America where the harvest season is timed with the school holidays. Cultivators of Costa Rican coffee are small farmers who banded themselves for form co-operatives and they in turn formed a federation to export their coffee produce. The coffee producers use high-end technology to maximize their yield and production.
The body, flavor and aroma of the coffee vary greatly. The process of growing and the location of the trees are factors in the taste of the coffee. The more well-known coffee in Costa Rica by region are Tres Rios, Tarrazú, Alajuela and Herediá. The coffee produced in these areas have characteristic clean and bold flavor. In Costa Rica, most of the coffee varieties are from caturra, a hybrid which is bright and full-bodied. Catuai and Mondo Novo are other popular Costa Rican coffee varieties.
Coffee processing is done immediately after harvesting, using state-of-the-art facilities called beneficios. Strictly hard bean coffees are grown high in the mountains above 3,900 feet and are considered the best coffee. When the coffee is grown from 3,300 to 3,900 feet, they are called good hard bean. The coffees from Costa Rica are generally identified by cooperative, estate or facility where they have been processed.
Arabica and Robusta are the two main varieties of coffee known throughout the world. The Arabica Coffee trees grow in high altitudes where the area is mountainous. They are highly prized for their rich aromas and full-bodied flavour. Their growing conditions makes harvesting them more difficult, so producing them entails more expense. Robusta Coffee trees are grown in lowland regions where they produce abundant berries, so they are less expensive to produce and because they are abundant, their market price is lower.
Costa Rica produces Arabica coffee. It issued an executive order prohibiting the production of other varieties of coffee. Enjoy the distinctive blend of Costa Rica coffee while staying in Hotel Costa Rica. Make sure that you are served the pure Costa Rican coffee with the “puro” label. The more famous Costa Rican labels are Bardú Coffee, Café Volio, Café Britt, Doka Estate Coffee, Café Rey and R.F. Meseta. There are also growers cultivating organic coffee which they process as special blends. They do not use pesticides, herbicides or any chemical fertilizers.
The Costa Rican Condo serves Costa Rican coffee with a rich aroma and an enticing flavour. They brew a perfect cup, with freshly ground coffee beans. The standard in the industry is six ounces of water for two rounded tablespoons of freshly ground coffee. Make sure you bring home Costa Rica coffee beans from your Costa Rica vacation.
