Today, we visited the great DOKA coffee plantation and we got to learn all about how coffee is made. We even got to try all the different flavors of coffee they produce, which was fantastic! I loved to see how our tour guide opened up the fruit and showed us the little beans inside. It was really slimey when we passed it around which was very unexpected but fascinating as how that eventually turns into the coffee we drink. I also never expected such a hands on process that they do on the plantantions, as the pickers are very involved and no machines have taken over yet. Additionally, the drying process outside proves the quality they are trying to preserve as they would rather keep the process as natural as possible before handing it off to the machines.

When she showed us the technology they used to complete the whole process I was in shock that the machines were around 100 years old. It’s absolutely crazy to think how these same machines were used years ago before all the innovative technology came into the world and they’re still being used today. The coffee we tasted throughout the tour was definitely not over hyped and there is no doubt it tastes better than Starbucks at home. Even though they sell all their best coffee to the U.S., I feel like they might sneak a few bags of their best coffee to sell in Costa Rica.