What Are Costa Rica's Renowned Coffee Regions? What Makes Tarrazú Coffee Special?

As one of the earlier countries in Central America to cultivate coffee, Costa Rica's coffee industry not only started early but also established strict laws and regulations to maintain the country's excellent coffee quality, prohibiting Robusta as a forbidden coffee variety for cultivation.

The Coffee Cultivation History of Costa Rica

FrontStreet Coffee reviewed historical records and found that the first coffee plant was brought to Costa Rica from Cuba in 1779, quickly initiating the coffee cultivation chapter here. By 1808, coffee had begun commercial production in Costa Rica, with approximately 17,000 coffee trees planted in plantations. In 1821, Costa Rica officially gained independence from Spain, and the coffee industry gradually became an important component of national economic income, continuing to this day.

Initially, the Costa Rican government recognized that coffee cultivation would bring benefits to both the country and its citizens, so it began implementing a series of policies to encourage cultivation, including free distribution of coffee seedlings and allowing farmers who planted coffee on excess land for more than 5 days to apply for land ownership. With strong government support, Costa Rica launched a very popular "nationwide coffee cultivation" campaign.

However, during World War II, Costa Rica's coffee industry declined from prosperity. Unstable factors such as war turmoil caused Britain to stop purchasing coffee, which directly ended the golden era of Costa Rican coffee exports. In 1900, Brazil began making waves in the coffee industry, reducing Costa Rican coffee prices to some extent. Subsequently, producing regions like Honduras and Guatemala also emerged as leaders driving the development of the global coffee industry. Obviously, compared to the thriving coffee industries of other countries, Costa Rica's coffee cultivation faced more difficult obstacles.

In 1989, the Costa Rican government officially passed a law prohibiting the cultivation of inferior coffee beans and encouraging Costa Rican farmers to pursue truly excellent quality coffee beans. This is why only Arabica has been cultivated locally in Costa Rica.

It is worth mentioning that this regulation was jointly decided and implemented by government departments and two renowned research institutes in Costa Rica: CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center, composed of multiple countries) and ICAFE (Instituto del Café de Costa Rica). CATIE was established in 1942, while ICAFE was created as early as 1933. They have not only contributed to Costa Rican coffee cultivation but have also made outstanding contributions to coffee throughout the Central and South American production regions.

Introduction to Costa Rican Specialty Coffee Regions

In Central America, most countries grow coffee and are famous for coffee production, such as Honduras, Panama, and Costa Rica. Among these, Costa Rica is the earliest country in Central America to cultivate coffee, with a long history in the coffee industry. Its coffee has gained recognition in international markets for its high quality and was once praised by British nobility as "golden beans."

Located in Central and South America, adjacent to Panama where Geisha became famous, Costa Rica is influenced by Pacific and Atlantic ocean currents and monsoons, creating excellent microclimates. Combined with various topographical features, it has become a perfect region for coffee to thrive. Although Costa Rica's coffee production ranking is not high, multiple volcanic crops in the country bring very fertile mineral soil with excellent drainage, allowing crops grown here to receive abundant rainfall and nutrients, naturally producing higher-quality fruits.

FrontStreet Coffee observed from maps that Costa Rica's territory is elongated, with coffee growing areas also distributed in a narrow strip in the central region. Thanks to its unique climate and volcanic geographical environment, Costa Rica has eight high-quality coffee producing regions: five main regions - Central Valley, TRES RÍOS, WEST VALLEY, TARRAZÚ, and BRUNCA, as well as three smaller regions: Turrialba, Orosi, and Guanacaste.

Among these coffee regions, the most famous is Tarrazú, located in the central part of the country. Originally, the region was named Los Santos, including areas such as Tarrazú town and Dota town. At that time, Tarrazú in this region first gained fame, so in 2019, the Costa Rican government registered and certified "Café de Tarrazú" as a coffee origin certification. Therefore, people gradually began using "Tarrazú" to classify the major producing region.

FrontStreet Coffee: Costa Rica Tarrazú

Region: Costa Rica Tarrazú
Altitude: 1500 meters
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai
Processing: Washed
Flavor: Sweet orange, honey, toffee, nuts

FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean series also includes this famous region. This entry-level selected Tarrazú coffee bean uses washed processing, with slight fruit acidity after brewing, featuring sweet orange, nut, and honey flavors, with a smooth aftertaste.

In addition to the most famous Tarrazú, Tres Rios is also one of Costa Rica's renowned coffee regions. The Tres Rios region is located in central Costa Rica, east of the capital San José. However, this region is one of the smallest in Costa Rica. Although production is small, the coffee quality produced here is high.

This region is near Costa Rica's famous Irazú Volcano, the highest volcano in Costa Rica and a large volcanic complex, making the soil here very fertile. Coffee is grown on slopes at altitudes of 1000-1600 meters, and the region has abundant water resources and a relatively humid climate, producing many high-quality coffees. Some coffee enthusiasts call it the "Bordeaux" of coffee producing regions.

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