Gourmet Coffee Finally Available to Ticos

Costa Rica has long been known for its uncomplicated lifestyle. That, along with its natural beauty, is precisely what draws so many people to its pristine shores. While Americans gladly wait in line to pay $5 for a specialty coffee, expats in Costa Rica sit down and chat over an authentic meal at a local soda, or mom and pop café. Now, Costa Ricans are able to enjoy an opportunity that has long been denied them---enjoying a quality cup of coffee made from beans produced in their own country. Until recently, while Costa Rica has been known for its coffee, its own citizens were unable to enjoy the best of it.

Now, Costa Ricans are able to sit down and enjoy the best that their country has to offer in terms of coffee. Coffee from LaMesa in Dota, Tarrazú recently won the 2014 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence. Considered the premiere recognition for coffee, the award is given to only the best coffee produced in Costa Rica.

In the past, Ticos have been unable to enjoy the quality coffee produced in their own country because they simply have not had access to it. Typically, due to the fact that international buyers are willing to pay top dollar for Cup of Excellence winners, the entire crop is sold abroad. This leaves none to be enjoyed domestically. In June, Japanese buyers paid a whopping $41.20 per pound for the unroasted beans when they came up at auction. This amounted to more than $60,000 for the entire crop. What made this year different was the fact that a Costa Rican roaster was able to purchase a small quantity of the award-winning beans. As a result, Cafeoteca, a small coffee shop located in San José now sells the winning La Mesa coffee in both small portions as well as by the cup. One cup of the coffee costs approximately ₡3,000, or $6.

While $6 for a cup of coffee may sound like a lot, even to American standards, it was not that long ago that residents of Costa Rica were prevented access to the finest coffee produced in their country---at any price. Prior to the 1990s, coffee farmers were limited to selling approximately 9 percent of their crop for consumption on a domestic level. That small percentage sold for a mere fraction of the price that international buyers would gladly shell out for the beans. In order to prevent the beans from being exported, the Costa Rican Coffee Institute finally began dying the beans blue. As result of such a system, farmers were often incentivized to give their worst beans to the domestic market. Consequently, while Costa Rica may have been known for producing the best coffee in the world, her own citizens were relegated to drinking the dregs.

After the 9-percent law came to an end and Costa Rica began to experience a tourist boom, the demand for better coffee in hotels increased. At the same time, tourists began to clamor for coffee that they could bring home as a memento of their trip. Within just a few years, the mass-market appeal for drinks such as lattes and cappuccinos that had swept the United States made its way to Costa Rica.

As the coffee-buying public has become more educated, consumers are more aware of what goes into a quality cup of coffee. The trend has now moved away from adding milk and flavors to coffee. Instead, consumers have become more cognizant of the many flavors associated with coffee and have become more aware of the complex relationships often associated with the beans grown by small-lot farmers. Increasingly, consumers are becoming more aware of where their coffee is grown and precisely how it should be roasted as well as prepared in order to achieve the best flavor. While $6 a cup remains pricey for most coffee drinkers in Costa Rica, more and more are willing to pay what is termed as a fair price for coffee produced from quality beans.