Experience the aroma, texture, and excellent taste, reveal in your senses, and discover the secret behind our Golden Bean
The relationship between Costa Rica and gourmet coffee has a history of hundreds of years. To understand why this crop is so vital to our country, let us briefly discuss a few exciting facts.
Costa Rica has eight different coffee growing areas. Each region produces multiple varieties with its unique flavor characteristics, thereby creating a country’s wealth of flavor options. Under the majestic Poas volcano’s dominion, the coffee area has many valleys with an altitude of 1,200 to 1,600 meters and about 30,000 inhabitants. In the middle of this coffee region, an active volcano stands at the height of 2,708 meters. The neighbor national park is the most visited in the country. Just an hour’s drive from San José, the Poas region is known for its beautiful landscapes and thriving culture. It is a favorite must-visit place for those looking to experience the Central Valley’s beautiful volcanic area. The landscape has waterfalls, rivers, pastures, and scattered plantations. The quaint, small shops stocked with local and handmade products fill the colorful villages.
Our Central Valley is home to some of the best coffee bean productions in the world. Hard micro climates expose coffee beans to rapid and significant temperature changes, resulting in a high-quality, hard bean, technically known as strictly hard bean (SHB). Besides the climate and the almost constant rains, the plants of this region grow on volcanic soil. Numerous minerals naturally enrich the soil with multiple minerals that make it incredibly fertile and ideal for growing our Golden Bean. In Poas, coffee is harvested from the end of October to the end of January. The region is known as Costa Rica’s pioneer coffee region. The intense conditions have produced strong coffee with slight acidity, a balanced blend of fruity and floral flavors with earthy and chocolate undertones.
We take growing coffee very seriously in Costa Rica. Regarded as the only country in the world where it is illegal to grow any coffee crop other than Arabica, the highest quality coffee available. Arabica plants are a specific variety of coffee and are more challenging to grow than different coffee types. Less hardy than other plants, Arabica beans require more care, attention, and planning to thrive. Still, their beans, when ripe, Arabica beans possess rich, full-bodied flavors, producing a smooth, premium coffee and believed to be the best in the world.
Doka Coffee Estate
Since 1940, the Vargas family dedicates its efforts to the cultivation of quality coffee in the Poas region. Initially, their efforts were focused solely on this activity. Years later, they decided to venture into coffee processing and roasting, developing their own brand. Doka is a coffee plantation in full production that has been awarded, on two consecutive occasions, with the SINTERCAFE award as Best Coffee in the World! Doka is also considered one of the best plantations in Latin America.
Ovation Costa Rica DMC takes you to experience the Doka Coffee Estate. Our bilingual tour guides will lecture the coffee plants’ step-by-step growth process. There you will discover the cultivation process of the plants in the manicured coffee plantation. After the harvesting process, all the cherries will be taken to the wet mill. This is where the fruit reveals the coffee beans. Later the beans are placed in the sun drying patios, the roasting process, and the hot cup of freshly ground coffee. The exquisite experience comes to life when we book a private coffee tasting with the in-house coffee connoisseur. The experience is available from beginners to experts alike. To really enhance your experience and leave with a world of coffee knowledge. Besides tasting the different roasted coffee offerings and our famous organic chocolates, visitors can purchase liquors, local crafts, and art related to the experience.
Our visit includes the oldest Wet Coffee Mill in the country. Its machinery is over 120 years old and solely moved by water force without using electrical power. It resulted in its designation as a Historical & Architectural Heritage Site by the Costa Rican Government in June 2003. Doka Estate also offers a great team-building experience for all size groups with a built-in challenge race raised above the coffee field. Great for those that want to incorporate adrenaline, team cohesion, and knowledge in just one day. We can also design a private late afternoon visit. Participate in your chosen activities, and stay for a fabulous open-air dinner feast in the sun drying patios.
The local cocineras will prepare a potpourri of regional specialties that will be enjoyed under local entertainment’s soft tunes. Colorful decor will be placed using beautiful tropical flowers, and orchids will enhance this memorable night. In Costa Rica, coffee consumption acts as a cultural equalizer, something shared and enjoyed by all citizens regardless of their occupation or social class. Costa Rica took the coffee and turned it into an art, and the drink is a treasured daily ritual throughout the country. Although we are still a small producer, our world’s coffee quality is recognized and appreciated by international connoisseurs that appreciate the quality beans we export.
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