Costa Rica’s identity as a nation is closely related to our status as one of the top coffee-growing countries in the world, so much so that even one of our national symbols, the oxcart, is related to coffee beans.
Oxcarts, or carretas, have been symbols of Costa Rica since 1800s. Traditionally, they were used to haul coffee beans from plantations to the ports from which they were exported. This long journey took the carts through Costa Rica’s lush Central Valley and over the beautiful mountains, sometimes taking as long as two weeks.
When first used, these carts were pulled by people. Eventually, as the demand for coffee grew, oxen were used to increase the amount of beans that could be transported.
The design of the wheel reflects the country’s mixed heritage. It combines aspects of Aztec and Spanish culture to create a totally unique transportation device with a uniquely Costa Rican twist.
Not content with viewing these carts as just a means of transportation, families began decorating them. Oxcarts were often a family or village’s only means of transportation, and the colors and designs soon became associated with specific farms and areas. It was a way to show pride in your home. Oxcarts became recognizable because of their bright colors and intricate patterns. Today, oxcarts are no longer needed to transport coffee beans and other cargo around the country, but they still hold an important place in the country’s history and artistic culture. They remind us of the bean that sustains our economy, and how fun it is to produce it.
Steps Seed to Bean
Planting
Harvesting the Cherries
Processing the Cherries
Drying the Beans
Milling the Beans
Exporting the Beans
Planting
A coffee bean is a seed. When dried, roasted and ground, it’s used to brew coffee. If the seed isn’t processed, it can be planted and grow into a coffee tree. Coffee seeds are generally planted in large beds in shaded nurseries. The seedlings will be watered frequently and shaded from bright sunlight until they are hearty enough to be permanently planted. Planting often takes place during the wet season, so the soil remains moist while the roots become firmly established.
Guatemala is one of the most climatically diverse countries in the world, which is impressive, considering that the country is not very large. Most of the coffee is grown in the country’s Western regions, where active volcanoes deliver large amounts of nutrients back to the Earth’s surface with every eruption.
Harvesting the Cherries
Depending on the variety, it will take approximately 3 to 4 years for the newly planted coffee trees to bear fruit. The fruit, called the coffee cherry, turns a bright, deep red when it is ripe and ready to be harvested. There is typically one major harvest a year. In countries like Colombia, where there are two flowerings annually, there is a main and secondary crop. The crop is picked by hand in a labor-intensive and difficult process, though in places where the landscape is relatively flat, the process has been mechanized. All coffee is harvested in one of two ways: stripped off the branch at one time, either by machine or by hand. Or only the ripe cherries are picked. A good picker averages approximately 100 to 200 pounds of coffee cherries a day, which will produce 20 to 40 pounds of coffee beans.
In the 1980’s a terrible civil war swept over the nation. Many farms were destroyed or abandoned by the time peace arrived in the early-90’s. Coffee growing has since picked up again, though it’s not yet the income-generator it once was.
The civil war was incredibly tragic, but it did lead to an interesting development from the coffee perspective—when all the neighboring countries were planting new coffee plant varieties in the 80’s, El Salvador wasn’t. As a result, the country produces a lot of what we call “old varieties”. Though these old varieties aren’t as disease resistant as the new ones, they’ve allowed farmers to market their crops as rare and exceptional.
Flavor-wise, coffee from El Salvador often has a medium acidity, medium body, and smooth notes of red fruit, earth, chocolate, and citrus.
Processing the Cherries
—Once the coffee has been picked, processing must begin as quickly as possible to prevent fruit spoilage. Depending on location and local resources, coffee is processed in one of two ways: The Dry Method is freshly picked cherries are simply spread out on huge surfaces to dry in the sun. The Wet Methodremoves the pulp from the coffee cherry after harvesting so the bean is dried with only the parchment skin left on.
During the Cold War, the USA set up bans on Nicaraguan coffee to hinder the spread of communism. During the Nicaraguan Revolution Era through the 70’s and 90’s, coffee production was stunted again as the public turned towards political progress. And, when Hurricane Mitch hit Central America in 1988, many of the country’s coffee farms were destroyed.
Thankfully, Nicaragua’s on the up-and-up. It’s been nearly twenty years since the country’s last economic crisis and the nation’s growing at a powerful pace, including the coffee industry, which now contributes to around 15% of the labor market.
Coffee from Nicaragua often has a medium acidity, medium body, a gentle sweetness, and flavor notes of earth, citrus, flowers, and vanilla.
Drying the Beans
—If the beans have been processed by the wet method, the pulped and fermented beans must now be dried to approximately 11% moisture to properly prepare them for storage. These beans, still inside the parchment envelope (the endocarp), can be sun-dried by spreading them on drying tables or floors, where they are turned regularly, or they can be machine-dried in large tumblers. The dried beans are known as parchment coffee and are warehoused in jute or sisal bags until they are readied for export.
Milling the Beans
—Before being exported, parchment coffee is processed in the following manner: Hulling, polishing, Grading and Sorting is done by size and weight, and beans are also reviewed for color flaws or other imperfections.
Exporting the Beans
The milled beans, now referred to as green coffee, are loaded onto ships in either jute or sisal bags loaded in shipping containers, or bulk-shipped inside plastic-lined containers.
Origin of Coffee in:
Guatemala
El Salvador
Nicaragua
Honduras
Panama
Guatemala
Guatemala received coffee in the late-1700’s, but commercial production didn’t really begin until European investment kickstarted the industry in the 1860’s. A couple decades later, most of these large plantations were divided up among locals.
Guatemala is one of the most climatically diverse countries in the world, which is impressive, considering that the country is not very large. Most of the coffee is grown in the country’s Western regions, where active volcanoes deliver large amounts of nutrients back to the Earth’s surface with every eruption.
El Salvador
El Salvador is a small country, so it makes sense that its coffee industry is on the small side as well. This country received coffee in the late-1700’s, but didn’t really take off commercially until indigo production (for dying textiles) slowed its pace in the early-1800’s. By 1970, coffee growing made up 50% of El Salvador’s GDP. Unfortunately, that soon came to a screeching halt.
In the 1980’s a terrible civil war swept over the nation. Many farms were destroyed or abandoned by the time peace arrived in the early-90’s. Coffee growing has since picked up again, though it’s not yet the income-generator it once was.
The civil war was incredibly tragic, but it did lead to an interesting development from the coffee perspective—when all the neighboring countries were planting new coffee plant varieties in the 80’s, El Salvador wasn’t. As a result, the country produces a lot of what we call “old varieties”. Though these old varieties aren’t as disease resistant as the new ones, they’ve allowed farmers to market their crops as rare and exceptional.
Flavor-wise, coffee from El Salvador often has a medium acidity, medium body, and smooth notes of red fruit, earth, chocolate, and citrus.
Nicaragua
Coffee arrived to Nicaragua a little late—the mid-1800s—nearly a century after some of its neighbors. The industry’s grown significantly, but political upheaval has kept it from progressing into a regional powerhouse.
During the Cold War, the USA set up bans on Nicaraguan coffee to hinder the spread of communism. During the Nicaraguan Revolution Era through the 70’s and 90’s, coffee production was stunted again as the public turned towards political progress. And, when Hurricane Mitch hit Central America in 1988, many of the country’s coffee farms were destroyed.
Thankfully, Nicaragua’s on the up-and-up. It’s been nearly twenty years since the country’s last economic crisis and the nation’s growing at a powerful pace, including the coffee industry, which now contributes to around 15% of the labor market.
Coffee from Nicaragua often has a medium acidity, medium body, a gentle sweetness, and flavor notes of earth, citrus, flowers, and vanilla.
Honduras
There are no records that say when coffee first arrived to Honduras, but we do know that the first year of large-scale commercial growing was 1804, so it’s safe to assume the crop arrived in the late-1700s like with the country’s neighbors.
Since then, Honduras has become the largest coffee producer of Central America. Fifteen out of eighteen departments grow coffee, revealing how widespread production is. For the most part, Honduras is a very wet country, so most farmers have taken to mechanically drying their coffee beans. This has lowered the typical quality, but new drying methods are being experimented with by farms with more financial security and risk tolerance.
Specialty-grade beans from Honduras often have a crisp acidity, a medium body, and sweet notes of sugarcane, orange, caramel, and spice.
Panama
At the Southern tip of Central America lies Panama. Great labor laws and a thriving economy make growing coffee here more expensive, which results in higher-cost beans for stateside brewers and cafes. But dishing out a little extra for Panamanian beans is worth it—the average coffee from here is incredible.
In the early-2000’s, a farm called Hacienda La Esmeralda discovered a strange coffee plant growing in one of their lots. When they tested it, they realized they had “rediscovered” geisha variety that’s native to Ethiopia and had been brought to Panama decades earlier. Geneticists realized that this variety, though related to the Ethiopian one, had mutated enough to be genetically distinct. The exotic acidity and wild fruity and floral aromas of geisha coffee have since fascinated the specialty coffee world.
