Costa Rica Trip Recap

Anne traveled to Costa Rica in February to visit coffee farms and micromills, and to work with our direct trade partners.

February is an important time to visit the coffee farms in Costa Rica. It allows us to gauge harvest, reconnect with our producers, and to cup coffees from this year’s harvest to make our buying decisions.

During this year’s visit, Anne visited producers and mills in five of Costa Rica’s eight growing regions. For the first time, Anne traveled throughout the Brunca region in southern Costa Rica. This region is known for Cerro Chirripo, Costa Rica’s tallest peak at nearly 13,000 feet. This is a relatively new region that is known for producing distinctive, full bodied coffees.

February is the peak of the specialty coffee harvest. This month producers have experienced unusual rainfall which has complicated the harvest in some regions. In the south the rainfall has brought about the flowering of coffee trees earlier than normal. After the coffee tree has flowered coffee cherries will begin to grow.