Costa Rica holds a special place in the world of specialty coffee, not so much for its volume (it ranks somewhere around 15th-17th worldwide) as for its consistency. You rarely find an origin where almost every lot easily reaches specialty grade.
A history built on coffee
Coffee reached Costa Rica as early as the second half of the 18th century, probably brought from Cuba, and commercial production began around 1808. The first recorded export, to Panama, took place in 1820. The following year, the government quickly grasped the crop's economic potential and actively pushed its development, at one point even handing out free seedlings to farmers who wanted to plant. Many of today's Central Valley cities — San José, Heredia, Alajuela, Cartago — were once vast coffee plantations.
Perhaps the most important moment in the recent history of Costa Rican coffee was the 1988-1989 decision: the government banned the cultivation of Robusta by law, leaving room exclusively for Arabica. For almost three decades, until 2018, Costa Rica was the only coffee-producing country in the world with such a legal ban. Even though the law has since been relaxed, and Robusta can now be grown in limited, warmer areas where Arabica wouldn't survive anyway, the long-term effect was exactly the one intended: a high quality standard that applies to almost all producers in the country, not just a few exceptional farms.
Eight regions, one volcanic terrain
Costa Rica's mountainous terrain creates eight distinct growing regions. Among the best known are Tarrazú (often the first one specialty coffee professionals mention), the Central Valley, West Valley, Tres Ríos, Orosi, Turrialba, Brunca and Guanacaste.
Each has its own microclimate, but they all share the same geological backdrop: fertile volcanic soils and high altitudes, usually between 1,200 and 1,900m, sometimes even higher. At these altitudes the cherries ripen slowly and the plants build up more sugar and aromatic complexity before harvest, hence the lively, almost citric acidity and the clean sweetness that define the Costa Rican profile.
The innovation that changed the way we think about processing
Costa Rica didn't stop at regulation; it also became a processing laboratory for the whole industry. This is where Honey processing was developed and refined: a method halfway between the clarity of a washed coffee and the fruity intensity of a natural one, achieved by keeping a controlled amount of mucilage on the bean during drying.
Depending on how much mucilage remains, different styles emerge: yellow, red or black honey, each with its own balance of clarity, body and sweetness.
This is also where the micromill phenomenon began — small mills, often owned by farming families, that made traceable lots possible, separated by farm or by plot, instead of being blended in large cooperatives. In practice, micromills are the reason you can buy coffee from a specific farm today, not just "coffee from Costa Rica".
The cupping profile, in broad strokes
A typical Costa Rican coffee has an almost citric acidity, clean sweetness and a balanced profile: which is why it's often recommended as a starting point for someone who wants to explore specialty coffee without being overwhelmed by a profile that's too intense or too unusual. The notes range from citrus and red fruit to chocolate and caramel and, in honey or natural lots, towards sweeter profiles, close to tropical fruit.
At MABÓ: Finca Las Lajas and the Chacón family
Our current Costa Rica lot comes from Finca Las Lajas, a farm at the foot of the Poás Volcano in the Central Valley, farmed by the Chacón Solano family for more than 80 years. Their story is one of the most powerful in our portfolio: in 1980, a family tragedy pushed siblings Oscar and Francisca Chacón to switch to organic farming, at a time when it brought no premium price, only risks.
The decision paid off: in 2000, Las Lajas became one of the few certified organic farms in the whole country, and today the two also run their own processing mill, with washed, honey and even experimental lots.
Try the Francisca & Oscar Chacón lot at home or come and discover it at a MABÓ coffee shop.
Enjoy your Mabo Coffee!
