Today I had the chance to visit one of the largest coffee plantations in Costa Rica, Doka. It was very beautiful and not what I expected. I thought it would be small and just rows of coffee plants (kind of like cornfields) but it was nice to explore the manufacturing of the bean and how it starts on the plant, is picked, and filtered, fermented, roasted etc. Before visiting, I didn’t know if they imported coffee beans from somewhere else or if they actually grew them themselves. I learned that there are 2 beans in each berry and it takes 3 years to get the first harvest. Something that surprised me about the process was that the plant smells like the jasmine flower in April or May. When the berries are red it is ripe enough to pick and usually the workers have to come back to the same plant at least 4 times. I also learned what a cahuela is, which is 25 pounds of fresh picked coffee berries. The basket that the workers wear around their waist is called a canasto and their salary only depends on how much they pick. I learned that there are about 150 workers per season and they typically harvest 12-15 cahuelas a day which is about $30 a day. Doka treats their employees very highly and provides free housing, healthcare, daycare, water, and electricity.

I had a really unique and fun experience because the tour guide let me taste one of the beans as soon as she took it out of the berry. It was interesting because it did not taste bitter or like coffee yet. Instead it was sugary and a little slimey. This is because the bean did not go through the fermentation and sorting process yet. It still had a layer around it and was not considered the “golden bean” yet.

The technology was very fascinating because Doka still uses machinery that is over 100 years old and not very modern. I learned that there is bigger and faster technology in some places but Doka prefers to use their way because it is authentic, aligns with their values, and preserves the coffee quality. One of the most captivating machines was the one that removes the skin of the berries. I thought for being over 100 years old and still working was pretty impressive. We learned that the machine allows the “good” coffee to come through a filter and any beans that float are considered “bad”. Even though you may think it’s wasted, the beans that don’t move on to the fermentation and drying process actually go back into compost.

The drying process was interesting because we got to see how different colors of beans form depending on the washing/drying process. For example, the lightest beans are made using the full wash process which is the most common. The medium is made through the honey process, where they dry with sugar and without fermentation usually leaving the seeds outside in the sun to rake over and over again. The darkest and most familiar looking, is the natural process. Which includes drying the whole fruit which takes about 10 days and tastes like honey.

A little fun fact I learned was what a peaberry is! Basically it is sweeter and is an accident. It happens when 1 berry only makes 1 bean instead of 2. This only happens to 5% of production though.

Now when looking at the roasting process, the longer you roast the beans the more bitter and strong your coffee will taste. At Doka, they only sell 3% of coffee and they export the rest of the coffee beans to other countries like US, Europe, and Japan. The companies Doka exports to, gets to decide how to roast the beans. This is why you can get different roasts and flavors at places like Starbucks vs Dunkin Donuts for example. I think Costa Rican coffee is good. Personally, I am not a huge coffee drinker and after hearing that Costa Rica gets cheap coffee from Nicaragua, I don’t really know how much it compares taste wise to other places. However, I do appreciate the value of hardwork here and I respect how much the company wants to please its consumers. It was nice to listen to a presentation after the tour to understand more the the economical and business side of exporting. It is evident that Costa Rica cares about its customers, employees, and quality of their goods.