Tarrazu Coffe Costa Rica

It is not a widely known fact that Costa Rica is one of the biggest agricultural producers of coffee in the entire world. Often playing second fiddle to the famous coffee of Columbia, Costa Rican Tarrazu coffee has traditionally been under rated considering the quality and care that goes into producing fine Costa Rican coffee.

Costa Rica enjoys a warm and wet climate ideal for agricultural production and it is in the highlands of Costa Rica where the majority of coffee plantations can be found. Costa Rica is a country with many volcanoes and the land surrounding these volcanoes is especially fertile and ideal for coffee growth.  It total there are estimated to be around 130,000 coffee farms dotted across the landscape of Costa Rica. Coffee in Costa Rica gets its name from the region in which it is grown. Some of the best known coffee types grown in Costa Rica include Cartago, Curridabat,  Heredia, Montes de Oca, Naranjo, Tarrazu, Tres Rios, San Jose, San Ramon and Sabanilla. There are different grades of coffee bean grown in Costa Rica, each one of which has slight variations in taste and strength. Often many of the lower grade coffee beans are blended in with high grade beans to produce commercial coffee blends.

History Of Costa Rican Tarrazu Coffee

The coffee bean is not native to Costa Rica but was brought to the country by the French in the mid 18th century. Within 50 years of bringing the first seedlings over to Costa Rica, the production of coffee had become a major industry in Costa Rica and has remained so ever since. Costa Rica was perhaps the first country in the Americas to begin growing coffee and for many years its major export markets were in other South American countries.

Costa Rican Coffee Types

Cafe Zurqui is one of the oldest blends of Costa Rican coffee. It is grown at 1200-1500 meters in the hills of rural Costa Rica. The coffee of El Gran Vito is a relatively new blend that came about as a result of the experimentations of Italian immigrants. Grown in the region of Coto Brus, this blend of coffee was first grown in 1941, and it is still influenced by Italian elements.