History of Coffee & Costa Rican Flavors

p.s. It is a compilation of information gathered from the Web, AI-Tools, and a visit to a local Coffee farm here.

Origin of Coffee:

History of coffee only stretches back about 1,000 to 1,500 years. For comparison, tea and alcohol have 5,000-year histories.

• ~850 AD (Ethiopia): According to legend, a goat herder named Kaldi noticed his goats became energetic after eating red berries from a certain bush. He tried them, felt a rush of energy, and shared them with local monks.

• 1000 AD: Arabs were the first to cultivate coffee and begin trading it. They boiled the beans to create a drink called qahwa.

• 1400s – 1600s: Coffee spread to Yemen and the Ottoman Empire. The first "coffee houses" (social and intellectual hubs) appeared in Mecca and Istanbul.

• 1700s: European colonial powers (Dutch, French, and Spanish) began smuggling coffee plants to their colonies in the Americas and Asia to break the Arab monopoly.

The "Golden Bean" Costa Rican Coffee:

• Coffee arrived in Costa Rica in 1779, brought from Cuba. It found a perfect home in the Central Valley, where the volcanic soil and high altitude created ideal growing conditions.

• Economic Independence: Coffee allowed Costa Rica to thrive independently after 1821. It was nicknamed the "Grano de Oro" (Grain of Gold) because it funded the country’s modernization.

The Modern Era & Quality Control (1900s – Present):

• Legal Standards: In 1989, Costa Rica passed a law banning the planting of low-quality Robusta beans (a lower-quality, bitter species of coffee). It is the only country in the world where it is illegal to produce anything but 100% high-quality Arabica coffee. 

• Third Wave Culture: Today, Costa Rica is a leader in "Micromills," where small family farms process their own beans to highlight unique flavor profiles rather than selling to large industrial cooperatives

Coffee Roast Methods in Costa Rica:

Costa Rican Roasts: Medium (City) or Medium-Light:

• This level perfectly balances the bright acidity of high-altitude beans with the sweetness developed during roasting. It preserves the "Origin Flavors"—meaning you can taste the volcanic soil and fruitiness.

Unique Costa Rican Roast Variations:

• Honey Processed Roasts: 

• While "Honey" refers to how the bean is dried (leaving some sticky, sugary layer of the coffee cherry on the bean), Medium-Light profile to highlight the honey-like sweetness and creamy body without charring the extra sugars. 

• While most of the world either washes this layer off (Washed Process) or leaves the whole fruit to dry (Natural Process), Costa Rican farmers pioneered a "middle path" that creates some of the sweetest coffee on earth.

• Gisha Coffee

• It is often called the "Champagne of Coffee," Gesha (or Geisha) is the most prestigious and expensive coffee variety in the world. originates from the Gesha Mountain region in Ethiopia has no connection to Japanese culture, however this coffee is very popular in Japan.

• Gesha is famous because it doesn't taste like traditional "coffee." It is light, aromatic, and complex.
• Aroma: Intense Jasmine, honeysuckle, and orange blossom.
• Taste: Notes of Bergamot (like Earl Grey tea), peach, apricot, and tropical fruits.
• Body: Very light and silky, almost like a tea rather than a heavy brew.
• Price: While high-end Gesha can sell for over $1,000 per pound at auction vs. $30 for most other types.

p.s. 

• Nowadays the Gisha Coffee is grown in Panama bordering Costa Rica, as the soil is more appropriate. 

See above Gisha Coffee tree that has very few beans

• Another reason this coffee is more expensive is that this variety grows very few beans per tree, almost 1/10th the beans than traditional coffee.

Coffee Export:

Costa Rica is a specialized producer that focuses on quality over quantity. Because it targets the high-end specialty market, the vast majority of its production is sent abroad.

• Export Volume: Historically, Costa Rica exports approximately 85% to 90% of its total coffee yield.

• 45% to Europe (with Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany as leaders) and 40% to US

• Annual Export Revenue: $400 Million.

• Premium Pricing: Costa Rican beans often sell at a significant "premium" price $10/lbm.

• GDP Contribution: Today, agriculture accounts for about 4.5% to 5.5% of Costa Rica's GDP. Coffee specifically contributes roughly 1% to the total GDP—a small number compared to the 1800s, but still vital for the livelihoods of over 27,000 family farms.

The Famous "Animal" Coffees

• Kopi Luwak (The Civet):

• The Animal: The Asian Palm Civet (a small, nocturnal mammal in Southeast Asia).
• The Process: The civet eats the ripest coffee cherries. Enzymes in its stomach break down the proteins that cause bitterness. The beans are pooped out, collected, thoroughly cleaned, and roasted.
• Price: $100 to $600 per pound

• Black Ivory Coffee (The Elephant):

• The Animal: Thai Elephants.
• The Process: This is currently the most expensive in the world. It takes about 33 kg of coffee cherries to produce just 1kg of beans because the elephants' digestive systems are so large. The fermentation in the elephant's stomach creates a tea-like, smooth flavor with notes of chocolate and grass.
• Price: $700–$1,100 per pound.

A Visit to a Local Organic Coffee Farm:

The local farmers here have realized that the greatest threats to their way of life are climate change and chemical fertilizers. In response, they have spent the last 20 years reforesting their land—which is now over 50% forest—and pivoting to organic farming. By keeping their water clean and their soil natural, they’ve discovered a beautiful side effect: the coffee tastes significantly better, allowing them to command premium prices.

At the farm entrance, we were introduced to the Achiote (or Annatto) tree. Known as the "Lipstick Tree," its vibrant seeds are used for food coloring, as a substitute for saffron, and even as a natural cosmetic. 

Here is a photo of Neelam trying it out!

Coffee Processing steps from Flower to Finished product

Cultivating: A coffee tree takes about three years to mature and will produce berries every nine months for nearly 40 years. During the harvest season, the beans are hand-picked every 11 days for 4 times. It grows between between 800 and 1800 meter altitude. Needs cooler and drier climate, i.e. No fog or mist or clouds near the plantation. 

Picking/Harvesting: We also got our hands dirty picking coffee berries. While most people picture red berries, there are actually both red and yellow varieties; once they hit that bright, saturated hue, they are ready for harvest. When the coffee tree stops giving berries, the wood is used for drying coffee / Heating purpose.

Bean Extraction: The ripped berries can be easy squeezed  to extract beans. It can contain 1 or 2 or 3 berries.

See Yellow and Red Coffee bean berry

• Most have 2 seeds

• Some have just one seed and it tends to be more spherical. These single-seed beans (Peaberries) are highly prized and more expensive.

Bean Extraction Machine

Washing: While many regions wash away the fruit pulp, many farmers often leave it on. This creates "Honey Bean Coffee," a sweet, aromatic variety that fetches a premium. 

Drying in Open: They dry the beans either in open sun or in a shaded area until the moisture hits 11%, then "age" them in bags for a month to settle the flavor. each method produces different flavors.

p.s. The beans dried in the shade ( called Black Beans) dries much slower. This extended time allows the fruit sugars to oxidize and ferment more deeply, turning the sticky coating a very dark, nearly black color. This slow, shaded drying is what gives the coffee its "sweet aromatic" and "wine-like" profile. It results in a very full-bodied, syrupy cup with a lot of depth.

Peeling the Outer Shell: The next step is to remove thin shell and again they use a machine. The extracted shell shavings are used as compost or burned in the drying machine.

Beans after the final Peeling of Shell by a Machine.

Roasting: With the shells removed, the beans are ready for roasting. In Costa Rica, they use either medium or medium light roast, i.e. not over roast and burn the beans. They believe that in other countries, when the beans are not perfect, they make a dark roast, heated at a higher temperature and longer to hide the impections.

p.s. Traditionally coffee has 3% caffeine, but Costa Rican coffee has only 1.5% caffeine,and is very smooth with less acidity. Hence, no one drinks decaffeinated coffee.

Storing and Grinding: When coffee beans are packaged, they should not be exposed to Oxygen/air and light. Hence, they are packed in an aluminum foil lined bag with opaque packing outside.

• One need not keep the coffee beans / grinds in the fridge. 

• Once beans are grinded, they should be consumed within 3 months, to enjoy the original flavors and aromas.

• Beans can be stored up to 9 months, without loosing their original flavors and aromas.

Now enjoy your coffee!! 😊

p.s. It is a compilation of information gathered from the Web, AI-Tools, and a visit to a local Coffee farm here.