Today I started the day with the most amazing pancakes made by my Mama Tica! Soon after, we headed over to Hacienda Doka to learn about the coffee process.
One thing about coffee that surprised me today was that coffee plants are 3 years old when they’re able to be used on the farm because that is when coffee cherries start to develop. That was shocking to me, as I assumed the plants would be used on the farm as soon as they started to grow. After learning about the plants themselves, we dove into process.
The first stage of the process, coffee receiving, was the most surprising to me today. In this step, a large pit fills with water, and the coffee beans either sink or float. The best quality beans sink. I found this surprising because of the method used. There was a large pit in the ground that had pipes and metal walkways over it. It was intimidating! However, we learned that they have kept the same technology since the 1920s with no electricity, which is remarkable.
After this, the coffee beans go through several other stages: coffee peeling, fermentation tanks, sun/mechanical drying, and storage. Another thing that surprised me during this process was the sun drying. The coffee beans are laid out on large concrete surfaces to dry in the sun’s heat. I thought a piece of technology would mainly be used to dry the beans, but the natural approach is incredible. However, the beans need to be flipped every 45 minutes, so workers have to rake and flip them!
The coffee beans in Costa Rica go through old technology, like the pit in coffee receiving, or natural processes, like the drying in the sun. The technology used in this process may not be the most efficient, however, I believe that taking these steps allows for the quality of coffee to be even better. They make sure all the coffee beans are quality, as they are hand picked and inspected, and then the beans go through this process. It’s truly amazing how much goes into this, as it’s not something I’ve ever thought about!
While I’m not a coffee drinker, the Costa Rican coffee had rich flavor! After seeing the process, I can definitely see why Costa Rican coffee has so much praise, as it’s made carefully with quality in mind!
