#2614 memories of Costa Rica: coffee

Today is the first day in over a week that I didn’t start the day with a cup of coffee. I’m kind of feeling it - that I missed something today. It is not something I expected. I have not considered myself to be a coffee drinker, although I do frequently go to Starbucks. I guess when I think of a coffee drinker, I think of my in-laws who drink black coffee all day, or people in my office who chug black coffee throughout the day. The coffee I get at Starbucks is flavored and sweet and in the form of lattes or Frappuccinos. My coffee intake isn’t as much about the coffee itself as it is the flavors that are added. I think I can count on one hand the times I have actually had a cup of coffee out of a coffee pot. It just wasn’t done.

However, I vowed to at least try coffee while I was in Costa Rica. After all, Costa Rica is known for its coffee. The first excursion we had planned was to visit a coffee farm for goodness sake! 

At breakfast the very first morning, I had my first cup of Costa Rican coffee. I wasn’t ready for straight coffee, though, so I added milk and sugar.

Coffee may be an acquired taste, because the first sip that morning was bitter. Lizzie disagreed and said it was very good. I drank about half the cup. It got a little better as I drank it, but I couldn’t finish it. 

That morning we traveled from San Jose to the La Fortuna area to our hotel at the base of the Arenal volcano. We had time to unpack our suitcases, then it was time to go on the tour of the coffee and chocolate farm. We visited North Fields farm. Our guide, Alberto, was knowledgeable and fun. He told us all about how coffee is harvested, processed, dried, and roasted. He did the same with chocolate, too, since this was a coffee and chocolate tour. 

After looking at the coffee and cacao trees, it was time for the main event: the tasting. We sampled chocolate first, which was fun and mostly delicious. After that, we moved to the coffee bar. Alberto ground some freshly roasted beans, a medium roast and a dark roast. He ground the beans right there in front of us and let us smell the freshly ground coffee. He told us about different pots for making coffee, and eventually used a traditional Costa Rican coffee maker called a chorreador.

internet photo

It is a simple contraption, as you can see. You put the coffee grounds in the filter - that white thing that’s hanging down. Hot water, not boiling, but just before that boiling point, is slowly poured over the grounds and the coffee then drips into the waiting cup. 

Alberto served us samples of the medium roast and the dark roast. There was only freshly brewed coffee in those cups. I stared down at the coffee, wondering if I would actually take a taste. There was no milk or sugar! Lizzie encouraged me to go ahead and take a sip. I started with the medium roast. It was a nutty brown color and smelled kind of nutty and slightly sweet. I took a tentative sip. So smooth! Not bitter in the least and a world away from the dark black, slick and slightly oily-looking coffee I’m used to seeing and smelling. 

The dark roast was good, a little more “cooked” tasting, if that makes sense. I had a couple of sips of it, but I preferred the medium roast by far. 

The next morning, and the next, and the next, etc., I always had coffee with my breakfast. I still prefer a coffee/milk combination, about half and half, with a packet of sugar. It was always good. By the end of the week, the first sip was no longer quite as bitter, and I was finishing the cup. 

Now that I’m back home, I have been to Starbucks a few times. The coffee drinks that I liked I find to be very sweet, probably masking the over-roasted beans. Honestly, my experiences with coffee in Costa Rica have made me re-think my Starbucks habit. I’m considering buying myself a coffee maker, and I have thought a lot about getting a chorreador. I’m still pondering, though, because I don’t want it to just be a vacation reaction. I know that I have a tendency to become a little obsessed with new things that I get interested in. Today I looked up coffee houses in SLC, and I think I’ll try out some places other than Starbucks to see if the Costa Rican coffee love carries over. 

Coffee adventures to be continued…