Costa Rica Coffee – Best in the world but production and prices are down

I have been coming to Costa Rica for over thirty years. Of course that means little if anything in the big picture, however, I feel just a little pride when I speak with other gringos and am able to say: “I have been coming to Costa Rica for 30 years”.

It appears as thought I have a sense for timing, either that or I am just plain extremely lucky. I was thrown into the Specialty Coffee Industry and discovered Costa Rica at the same point in my life.

Both allow me to raise my chin ever so slightly and say: I have been in the Specialty Coffee Business for over thirty years” or “I have been coming to Costa Rica for over thirty years”. I feel proud of each. Each has become extremely popular and I was at the forefront in each case.

As a pioneer in what we then called the Gourmet Coffee Industry, I was part of a very small group searching out one basic thing; better coffee. From the East Coast to the West and a sprinkle of us in the middle we were completely immersed in our mission to find the next bean that would be better than the last.

We would find a chop of seven bags of a Sumatra Mandhling which was superb. If we were too small to buy the whole thing we would call another micro roaster and see if they wanted a few bags. It was networking at its finest. We never asked the price, we just wanted to cup taste the coffee and get the satisfaction from just a little better cup.

Time and time again the Costa Rican Coffees came out on top. When we talked about perfect balance in Aroma, Body and acidity (the brightness of the cup) we often chose a Costa Rica bean.

Hawaiian Kona was supposedly the standard of excellence for the un-informed. I was surprised, OK maybe shocked to find out that, at the time, Hawaii was the number one importer of Costa Rican Coffee!!

Fine restaurants and hotels through out Hawaii served Costa Rican Coffee with not so much as a clue as to what it was. Tourists packed up as much Kona as they could to bring back to the mainland after tasting “The Best Coffee in the World”, if only they knew.

In my over thirty years in the industry I still believe Costa Rican coffee is the best over all coffee in the world and it is what I drink at home. I walk past the several Konas, Jamaican Blue Mountain and several other expensive coffees when I’m choosing what I will drink.

The richest people in the world cannot drink a better coffee than what is very affordable and absolutely great coffee available right here in the Costa Rica we love.

Written by Jim Cameron, founder of Cameron’s Coffee Company and now a real estate investor in Costa Rica.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.