As the trip comes to a close, I want to reflect on the growth of my understanding related to the making process of the crops we have explored. Firstly, in the farming process, the growing of the fruits and plants is where it all starts. From carefully married coffee trees to mass-planted pineapple crowns, every…

Today, we visited Sibö Chocolate for a very interactive and informative lecture. We were greeted with amazing hot chocolate and a platter of delicious chocolates. One of Sibö’s owners, George Soriano, explained the history and culture behind the chocolates that are now such a typical delicacy worldwide.  We learned how interconnected chocolate and coffee are,…

Today, we visited Francini’s family-owned farm that produces bananas, honey, peppercorn, sugar cane, and a wide variety of other crops. Although her farm was likely the smallest we visited, it still had the character and diversity that rivaled the more commercialized plantations here in Costa Rica. Located again in the lowlands of Sarapiquí, this farm…

After our day off at the beach, we went back to touring and tasting all that Costa Rica has to offer. Today, we visited Sarapiquí to observe how the world’s number one country in pineapple exports harvests its plants. The pineapple growing process was massively different from that of coffee, which was much more complex….

With our third coffee visit today, we explored Life Monteverde, where we had a very informative lecture and hands-on farming experience. Our guide, Guillermo, explained the general processes of growing and harvesting their coffee. Guillermo was once a farmer himself, sharing a lot of compassion and commonalities with the current workforce of Nicaraguans who work…

In a day of exploration through the Cloud Forest Reserve, including some run-ins with snakes and spiders, and a lecture from Nacho at the Monteverde Institute, I now understand how monumental and essential it is to keep Monteverde green. With around 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity and 750 known endemic tree species just in Monteverde…

As we left Heredia for Monteverde today, the journey transformed the Costa Rican experience I have known. So far, I have experienced the warm and sunny weather with the occasional threatening clouds. However, as our elevation increased, the temperature dropped, the fog became denser, and the scenery became increasingly jungly. The misty nature of the…

On today’s trip, we visited Café Britt’s fantastic roasting facility, which was designed for tourist showings. It started when we met our very quirky guide, Jesús, who humorously explained the process of growing and harvesting coffee. The tour was very similar to yesterday’s tour, except it focused on the roasting process and spent less time…

Today, coffee and strawberry farms were on the itinerary, providing two very unique agricultural experiences. First, we started at the Hacienda Doka Coffee Plantation, where our tour guide shared the very particular steps of growing a batch of coffee. First, she showed with us the different ages and sizes of their optimal plants: year one…

Costa Rica has been extraordinary. The views here are stunning. The fruit is so fresh. Our host family is so kind. It has been a great day and a half in Heredia. So far, my experiences have lived right up to my expectations: mountainous, warm, humid, and working a lot on my Spanish. Yesterday, when…