Costa Rica Coffee: The Perfect Cup of Coffee?

Costa Rica Coffee has a reputation for making just the perfect cup of coffee. It is balanced, clean and mild, all the characteristics of the classic cup of coffee. This does not mean that Costa Rican coffee is boring, however!

Top Quality Exports: Top Quality in Your Cup

If you like some character to your coffee, don't rule out Costa Rican Coffee. In fact, this country's coffee is so well loved that it exported one and a half million 132 pound bags during the 2009/2010 harvest!

As you probably know, the soil and growing conditions make a great deal of difference between coffee beans. Costa Rica Coffee has in recent years begun to come from small micro-farms as well as the many plantations/coffee mills so there is plenty of variety here as well as quality.

Focused on Quality Coffee Beans

These micro-mills are very small farms that take total control of the growing process from picking to roasting thanks to new environmentally friendly small milling equipment.

Small producers were getting frustrated with selling their carefully sorted and roasted beans only to have them blended with inferior beans from the big commercial farms. This type of operation also allows farmers to divide their crop by cultivating method or elevation and receive the highest prices for their coffee.

Micro farming provides a fascinating range of coffee brightness, texture and body. Farmers are free to experiment with different types of cultivation and environmental control, fine tuning their crops to certain characteristics their customers have shown a liking for.

Famous Coffee Growing Regions

Costa Rica is famous for coffee from The Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Alajuela and Heredia regions. The best beans are grown higher than 3,900 feet above sea level and are called hard bean. Coffees from Tres Rios are generally bright, sweet and mild. The interior region of Tarrazu yields a rather heavy coffee with strong aromatic properties; it is home to the La Minita estate, whose crop is the most popular in Costa Rica.

Early Reputation: Modern Delights

Costa Rica first exported coffee in 1820, to Columbia. Within the next few years the country's reputation grew until they were exporting to Chile, England and other nations. Growing coffee and building the nation's economy through trade allowed the country to advance, reach out to its neighbors across the sea and build up their infrastructure.

In 1897, thanks to the coffee trade, Costa Ricans inaugurated the National Theater. Their society was well on the way to being contenders in the arts as well as the financial world of the 19th century.

Costa Rica is a country of breathtaking mountains and lush, rich valleys. It is also a land of volcanoes, one of which erupted this year for the first time since 1866. Although there were some evacuations, the Turrialba volcano spared the many small coffee farms on the slopes of its base, something which coffee drinkers are thankful for!

Popular Costa Rica Coffee Beans

And finally...

Wherever you are, remember "Only Coffee Beans Make Great Coffee"! And enjoy that cup of coffee!

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