Today, during the Costa Rica Plus3 program, my group visited Doka Estate. This plantation has been in Costa Rica for over 100 years. The organization mainly grows coffee beans which will be exported to the United States; this accounts for 75% of their coffee supply. Companies such as McDonalds could then purchase this coffee and do whatever they want with it at their restaurant. The other 25% is made into Doka Estates’ coffee brand which is sold in house. This brand is called “3 Generations Coffee”.

The bulk of my visit to Doka Estate involved an explanation of the coffee process. I learned that the coffee season lasts from October to January, and the process of making coffee starts with the workers picking the red coffee cherries. Then, the coffee is taken to a wet mill where the good and bad beans are seperated by density. After that, the beans move to machines that remove the skins with friction and, once again, seperate the good and bad beans. The beans then move into tubs of water which are seperated by quality, and they stay there for two days. The next 5 days involve the beans sitting outside to dry in the sun. Once dried, the beans are put into burlap bags with parchment for 3 months, and, after that, the product can be exported for others to buy and use.

One aspect of the coffee process that suprised me was how the company relied on people to pick the coffee cherries. Previously, I would have imagined that this process would be more effective and cheaper in the long run by using a machine that is programmed to pick the cheeries when they are at the correct stage. Though, this technology may not be used in Costa Rica due to how high the initial costs would be. Another aspect of the coffee process that surpised me was that most of the process was powered by water. I expected that those stages of the process would be powered by electricity. Still, I am glad that they are using water power because that is much more sustainable for the environment.

Another important part of our visit to Doka Estate was tasting the coffee. I did not sleep well the night before this visit, so I was in dire need of the energy boost that coffee would give me. However, due to rarely drinking coffee, the samples I had made me more anxious and jittery than energetic. Because of this reaction, it is clear that coffee is not for me. I do not like the bitter taste, and I cannot handle the effects of the caffeine. So, I have to say that I think Costa Rican coffee is overhyped.