“Allegory of coffee and bananas” Famous painting by Aleardo Villa, on the Costa Rican 5 colones bill
Coffee
Coffee keeps us alert, helps us burn fat, and improves our physical performance, among many other health benefits. It is even said that coffee consumption is the reason why Costa Ricans have a high life expectancy and that is why CHANEL® uses Costa Rican green coffee as one of the main assets for one of its skin treatments, along with ingredients from blue zones in other countries where people live the longest and healthiest lives.
Coffee is also an ideal drink to share with friends or family, the socialization that takes place around coffee makes it the most consumed drink in Costa Rican culture. In Costa Rica we produce one of the best coffees in the world, however, for us Ticos, coffee is more than just a drink.
More than coffee, history
For Costa Rica, coffee is so much more than just a basic traditional drink that is found in every home.
Coffee is impregnated as part of Costa Rican history; it was a fundamental part of the economic, social and political development of Costa Rica. During the mid-nineteenth century, being Costa Rica already an independent country from Spain and thanks to the escalation of coffee exports to England, coffee became the state´s formation product since the whole country was organized according to the export of this product. This was lead and organized by the coffee oligarchy which established the foundation of the state system.
Although the power was in the hands of the oligarchy, there was no slavery in coffee production in Costa Rica as in other countries. This allowed for a more inclusive activity where all social groups could participate and benefit from the development of the activity.
Y aunque el poder estuvo a cargo de la oligarquía, no hubo en Costa Rica esclavitud en la producción de café como en otros países. Esto permitió una actividad más inclusiva donde todos los grupos sociales podían participar y beneficiarse del desarrollo de la actividad.
One of the best coffees in the world
100% of the coffee grown in the country belongs to the Arabica species, of the Caturra and Catuaí varieties, it is produced between 800 and 1600 meters above sea level in fertile and volcanic soils. The grains are manually extracted from each plant ensuring its quality.
Costa Rica is not a major coffee producer compared to other countries in the world, however, our coffee has been listed as one of the best in the world due to the high quality of the product. Costa Rica, as it has done in other activities, in terms of coffee, focused on a philosophy of quality and not quantity.
“At Capitán Suizo we wish to invite you to enjoy
an exquisite coffee, in front of the Pacific Ocean!”
Compiled by Helen Soto
Assistant Manager – Hotel Capitán Suizo
Source: Instituto del Café de Costa Rica, Icafe.