Coffee Rica

---

Costa Rica is synonymous with coffee. Think Costa Rica and you'll think coffee. You can't go anywhere in the country without passing by the bushy coffee plants growing on the sides of mountains and volcanoes. For our last full day in Costa Rica, we decided to embark on a coffee tour at Cafe Britt, just north of San Jose in Heredia. We couldn't visit one of the top exporters of the delicious bean and not check it out, especially since my sisters and I are coffee-addicts ourselves.

For decades, coffee was the lifeline of Costa Rica, flowing through the economy like blood through a warm body. It still is a vital part of the nation's industry, but nowadays, it is export numero 3 since being supplanted by tourism and pineapples in the last decade. During our tour at Cafe Britt, it was interesting to learn about the economic changes that made that happen, as well as the changes within the coffee industry to strengthen it.

For instance, much like many other famed coffee powerhouses (think: Brazil), you don't necessarily go to the country itself for great coffee. Why? By law, they have to export all of the premium grade coffee to buying nations. And that makes sense, economically. Coffee beans are generally divided into three tiers of quality, from gourmet to basically bean fiber. What's left over is the bland coffee that's gone through the mill a few times only to be either kept in country, or sold to Nestle for instant coffee. That's right - instant coffee.

But in Costa Rica, that is changing -- and for tourists looking to have a cup or two of real good Costa Rican coffee, it's a welcome change. Coffee growers and mills are no longer required to export their beans directly to other countries for roasting. It can all be done in Costa Rica, allowing places like Britt to grow, grind, roast and drink their coffee all on their premises. The product is amazing - fresh Costa Rica coffee in Costa Rica.

This change doesn't just benefit the tourist, but is actually better for your average Costa Rican coffee farmer as well. A farmer in Costa Rica would sell a pound of his gourmet beans (highest grade) to a country like, say, the United States for a dollar. The US goes on to roast the beans, package the pound and sell it for fifteen dollars. The cash crop doesn't produce the maximum potential cash for the farmer. Yet, if the farmer could roast and sell the beans himself, it'd be great for him and Costa Rica, no?!

The problem is, much like a lot of things in the world of cash-crop countries, change is slow to take place. Farmers don't want to invest in expensive roasting equipment. They're not completely sold on the idea that they can be making that much profit. Or they don't want to take the risk. And coffee is still a very traditional crop. The technology that is used to go through the entire process from bush to cup has hardly changed since the first cup was brewed. Even now, coffee is still picked by hand to insure that only rip beans, called cherries, are plucked Costa Ricans like that about coffee, and are shy to move away from what is thought as "traditional," even if logic and money are presented right to them.

In an effort to go ahead and support all of the many coffee farms that are conglomerated under the name Cafe Britt (I think there are about a hundred farmers that grow for Britt), I went ahead and bought about six pound of coffee. Which really isn't a lot. Abby and I had to make sure that we were able to bring that much coffee back to the US, and breathed a sigh of relief when we heard we can bring I think about five hundred pounds of coffee back with us, duty free.

The tour at Britt was really great, I would definitely recommend it to a friend. We did the "Coffee Lovers" tour, which went behind the hokey, theatrical (but fun) tour around the grounds of Cafe Britt. We were able to go to the wet mill, talk intimately and ask questions with the "proprietor" and got to have an hour or so of barista training back at Britt. The latter was exceptional - not only did we get to learn how to make all sorts of awesome coffee drinks, but we then got to sample our creations! Not a bad day!

Actually, it was a great last day of our trip. We rounded out the day with a "last supper" that ended up consisting of churros and the ubiquitous Imperial beer. Can't say I can complain... it was fun just sitting on Avenida Centrale and watching all the Ticos go by with an ice cold cerveza in hand. Of all our days in Costa Rica, it was probably one of the most relaxing we had, since we were really getting used to San Jose (at least, the parts we felt comfortable going to alone!) and we didn't have much to do. Unfortunately, I think that's how it goes - as soon as you get used to a place, it's time to leave. I had a great time in Costa Rica though, and would definitely pass through the area again on a trip to Central America! Until next time, Buenos!

---