Costa Rica Coffee Beans

Costa Rica has one of the most developed specialty coffee industries in Central America. The country banned low-grade Robusta cultivation in 1989, which means essentially all Costa Rican coffee is Arabica — a distinction that sets a consistent quality floor across the board. Growing regions including Tarrazú, West Valley, and the Central Valley produce at high altitude, with the Central Cordillera mountain range shaping cool temperatures and well-defined dry seasons that suit slow cherry development.

Costa Rica is also where honey processing was refined and popularised as a deliberate quality tool. The range of honey levels (yellow, red, black) gives producers precise control over sweetness, body, and fermentation character, and you'll find that reflected in how differently two Costa Rican coffees can taste depending on their processing approach. Washed lots from the country tend toward clean brightness and citrus acidity. Honey-processed lots lean sweeter, with stone fruit and caramel notes and a fuller body.

Browse related origins: Guatemala · El Salvador · Honduras