Seeing the lush, green valleys and beautiful mountains of Costa Rica from the air as we were landing in San Jose’ was not even the tip of the iceberg concerning the richness of this country. Home to roughly 5% of the world’s biodiversity and having the most number of species per 10,000 sq km in the world, hundreds of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians can be found here, along with a staggering 10,000 plant and tree species!
Costa Rica is also the habitat of a number of rare and endangered flora and fauna species such as the Scarlet Macaw, the resplendent quetzal, and the West Indian Manatee. [1] The rich volcanic soil, cool moist climate, and high altitude of the mountains, just part of the 12 different ecological zones, is the perfect place for growing excellent coffee. In the past some Costa Rican coffee was said to be too clean, too balanced, too mild, the “classic cup,” possibly just boring. However, today there are many farmers and micro-mills that take extreme care in every part of the process and produce a variety of excellent, diverse coffees.
The coffee Arabica plant was brought to the Central Valley of Costa Rica in the late 1700’s. Cultivation spread slowly and Costa Rica became the first Central American country to have a coffee industry. Coffee growing soon surpassed cacao, tobacco, and sugar in importance, and by 1829 it had become the major source of foreign revenue. As a nonperishable commodity in an age of slow and costly transport, coffee proved an ideal product and shortly thereafter became the nation’s major export, a position it has maintained until recent years. It created a producer’s wealthy elite that dominated the governmental circles all through the second half of the 19th century. [2]
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