text: coffee - Costa Rica Message Board - TripAdvisor
  coffee - Costa Rica Forum
  20 February 2008, 16:30
  I am not a huge coffee person myself, but my parents are, so I thought that picking up some coffee beans while I'm in Costa Rica would be a nice gift. And my boyfriend's father loves chocolate covered coffee beans.
  I'm spending a couple of nights near Arenal, and 6 nights at Playa Conchal. I probably won't have time while I'm at Arenal to go exploring, because I already have my days packed with tours. So is there somewhere near PPC where I might be able to find coffee products? Or maybe somewhere I should stop on the way from Arenal to Playa Conchal (though it will be an evening trip, so I don't know if any places would be open...)
  Is there a certain type of coffee that Costa Rica is well known for? I don't know anything about coffee, so I wouldn't really know what to look for...
  20 February 2008, 16:36
  Britt coffee is very popular there - to see some of their products - you can check out their site...
  Yes, Britt is a well known coffee name. That does not mean it is necessarily the best coffee.
  They have the coffee monopoly at SJO airport. Britt does sell the chocolate covered beans.
  Not sure if you are flying in and out of SJO or LIR.
  You can get coffee of all kinds at supermarkets. Look for the kind that is marked export quality. There are lots of brands and roasts and kinds...organic non organic dark light medium.....
  I am like you - not much knowledge about coffee but bring it home for friends etc. Sometimes we just wait till the airport and pick up some. Other times if we have the time, we go to a supermarket before we leave.
  Below is a link to an old thread which basically has alot about buying coffee
  tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g291982-i813-k9120…
  If you or your friends like coffee liqueurs like kahlua, there are a few local kinds you can buy. Cafe Rica is one. Britt also makes one. However, these days bringing liquids home can be a hassle.
  20 February 2008, 17:16
  You can purchase coffee just about anywhere. Chocolate covered beans will be harder to find in that area - unless you pay a premium.
  Preferences in coffee differ but most tourists opt for Britt. To me, Britt is primarily excellent when it comes to marketing. I find most of their coffee acceptable, yet overpriced. The only type of Britt coffee I truly like is the "Organic" variety. Everything else is not worth the money.
  I quite like Tres Generaciones coffee but it might be hard to find up there. For a cheap and excellent brew, I turn to Volio - it costs less than Britt but has a better taste (subjectively speaking, of course).
  You can purchase all these products at LIR - but they expect you sign over your first born child. For example, a small package of chocolate-covered coffee beans is US$1 in the store but US$3 in the airport!!! That's a mark-up they apply to just about every product!
  Thanks for the advice everyone! And thanks for that link; it was very helpful too.
  22 February 2008, 13:37
  I am a coffee person so here's my tips:
  Buy your coffee at the supermarket (any super will do) right before you leave (it gets really heavy!)
  Look on the package to make sure it says "puro" because if it doesn't it probably has sugar in it...Costa Ricans cannot understand how we can drink coffee without sugar
  My personal favorites are Volio, Cafe Rey (puro), and 1820.
  When I go back to the US I always take my son about 20 bags of 1820 and he is a coffee person too...
  I'm a big fan of the Cafe Monteverde Coop coffee (dark roast), but it is almost impossible to find outside of Monteverde.
  Another alternative: There is a small private roaster at La Gran Nicoya gift shop, on the road as you are heading away from the Liberia Airport toward Conchal. I have sampled the coffee there, and its pretty good.
  22 February 2008, 16:33
  I vote for Cafe Rey- something that I learned by way of a mistake- I thought I was being eco with paper coffee bags containers- instead of foil sealed ones. I'm sure you can see where I'm headed- needless to say, people knew from the smell of my clothes that I came from CR.
  22 February 2008, 16:40
  We will be buying our coffee in Monteverde. Do you purchase the Monteverde Coop Coffee in the supermarket there? Is Cafe Rey or any other recommended coffees available in their supermarkets?