Taking a Tour of Café Britt Finca & Roastery in Costa Rica

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While in Costa Rica for a short whirlwind trip, I visited Café Britt Finca and Roastery in Heredia to the north of San José. As with everything I did on that trip, taking the tour there was a last-minute based on what I felt like doing and what I could manage with my limited time in the country. That said, Sunday night after my adventure white water rafting on Río Pacuare, I booked a tour for Monday afternoon to Café Britt, Costa Rica’s first gourmet coffee roaster.

Getting to Café Britt

The tour I selected included transportation to and from San José with an easy to find pickup location. After doing some souvenir shopping nearby, and with only about twenty minutes until my pickup time I walked over the pickup location.

Lo and behold, while I was waiting the rain that had been forecasted for my entire five day trip finally found me! The sudden downpour chased me under an overhang in front of some shops so I put on my rain coat and pulled the rain cover over my travel backpack (one of my favorite travel gear items). The shuttle ride was fairly uneventful and I spent most of the drive chatting with the two fellow Americans I was sharing the ride with.

Tour Time

Rain continued to come down when I arrived at Café Britt, and since parts of the tour are outdoors, ponchos and umbrellas are available from the information desk. The tour of Café Britt began with a brief history on the origin of coffee and how it spread around the world. The lively guide then moved onto the ideal conditions for cultivating the coffea plant and how the growing conditions affect the flavor of the beans. How coffee beans are roasted further affects the flavor which is why you can find so many varieties of coffee with different roasts and flavor profiles.

Fun fact: coffee beans aren’t actually beans. They’re actually the seeds of the fruit of coffea plants which are usually referred to as ‘cherries.’ Before moving onto the nursery next to the plantation to learn about the life cycle of coffea plant from seed to plantation, we were provided with light roast and dark roast samples to try. Not being a big fan of coffee at the time, I preferred the lighter roast. Either way, the hot beverage was much appreciated since with the rainy weather came cooler temperatures.

From Seed to Tree

To cultivate new trees, the seeds are placed under banana leaves to retain moisture and promote growth. Once the small sprouts spring up, they’re moved to bags and paired with a ‘roommate’ for approximately a year. At that point they’re large enough to be transplanted into the plantation.

Coffea plants begin producing fruit after 3-5 years and will continue to produce for about 50 more years. Traditionally coffee has been ‘shade grown’ where the plantation fields are shared with banana trees that soak up excess moisture as well as taller trees that push the wind down amongst the lower plants. Shade grown coffee is considered organic and more ecologically friendly as it provides habitat for many species of animals, birds, and insects.

Harvesting the Caffeine Coffee

One of the most astounding things I learned was that the cherries are traditionally harvested by hand once they’ve ripened from green to a red color. Since the cherries begin to ferment quickly they must be processed within 24 hours of being picked. This processing involves removal of the skin and flesh of the cherries from the ‘beans’ followed by over a week of drying out in the sun. At this point in the process, the dried beans can be stored up to a year before being roasted.

The tour included an in-depth explanation of the different roasts (light, dark, espresso) and how the roast affects the amount of caffeine in the finished product. Professional tasters determine the roasts for each batch of beans and then the blends that are eventually brewed into cups of coffee enjoyed around the world. 

Fun for All Ages

Some of the tour was a bit cheesy and theatrical, but it was still very informative and enjoyable. For the java lovers with kids, this means you can enjoy learning about your morning fix without boring the kiddos. 

At the end of the tour we were able to sample Café Britt’s many varieties of coffees and chocolates in their gift shop. I picked up a bag to take home and a couple to bring back for friends and family. Even though I wasn’t a big coffee drinker at this point, I still enjoyed the tour and gained a new appreciation for coffee.

Curious about what other adventures I had in Costa Rica? You can find all my Costa Rican posts here!

Are you a coffee drinker? Have you ever visited a place specifically for the coffee?