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Coffee Tours - Give me a Cup of Java

Costa Ricans sure know how to make a good cup of coffee! You wanna learn why?

Join us for a traditional Costa Rican coffee plantation tour. Learn about the history of coffee and how it's grown, harvested, processed and roasted - all the way from seed and roasted bean to your morning cup of coffee. Pick your own coffee during the harvest season and take it to the next step which is the 'beneficio' or the processing mill. Here the coffee bean is dried, removed from its husk and then dried again and roasted at the mill.

Most of Costa Rica's coffee production occurs the rich volcanic soils of the Central Valley where several plantations welcome you with open arms year round and reward you with a fresh, hot cup of java. Coffee plantations are also found in Monteverde and other mountainous regions where the climate is cool enough. The only type of coffee grown in Costa Rica is Arabica, as mandated by Costa Rican law.

Did You Know?

• In 1798 coffee was first brought to Costa Rica where it quickly became a major industry, leaving cacao (cocoa, chocolate bean) and tobacco in the dust
• The first coffee plantations in Costa Rica opened in 1816
• In 1875, the first major export of coffee occurred to England
• Costa Rica is the first Central American country to make coffee an industry
• In Costa Rica, all coffee fruits are picked by hand, not machine assuring a higher quality of coffee because only ripe, perfect fruits are selected.
• There are more than 125 'beneficios' (coffee processing plants) in Costa Rica
  
• Coffee is the second largest commodity traded on the international market, the first is petroleum.

Where to Do It?

San Jose / Central Valley

We work with two coffee plantations in the central San Jose area, Britt and Doka. Many of the tours we offer are combo tours:

• Coffee and Butterflies - A Costa Rican Speciality
• Four in One: A Day of Natural Wonders
• Coffee & Craters: Doka Coffee Estate & Poas Volcano 
• Tours are also available in the mountains of Cartago and in San Gerardo de Dota
  
• Please feel free to contact us for more info about these coffee tours. 

Monteverde

• Several coffee tours are available  Contact us to learn more about your options.

Central Pacific

Although this region of Costa Rica is generally thought of as hot, there are some high mountain elevations where a limited number of coffee plantations are located. Coffee tours are accessible from Quepos & Manuel Antonio. Contact us for a tour right for you.

Tours & Packages

Since coffee tours usually do not take up a full day, it's nice to combine them with other nearby activities. Contact us for more info about coffee tour combos or to find a coffee tour not listed here.