Coffee, Chocolate & Sugar Cane Tour
Three crops that built Costa Rica, made by hand
Overview
A hands-on hour and a half on the reserve's own plots, covering the three crops that shaped this country's economy. You pick ripe coffee cherries, pulp them, roast the beans over a fire and grind them to brew a cup. You split a cacao pod, taste the raw white pulp around the seeds, then roast, peel and grind the nibs into chocolate you eat on the spot. And you feed sugar cane through a wooden trapiche and drink the juice that comes out the other side. Guides explain the economics as well as the process - what a farmer is actually paid, why so much coffee leaves the country green - which makes it more interesting than a tasting room.
Highlights
- Pick, pulp, roast and grind your own coffee
- Split a cacao pod and make chocolate from the seeds
- Press sugar cane in a traditional wooden trapiche
- Generous tastings of everything you make
- Flat, shaded and genuinely good with children
Included
- Guided coffee, chocolate and sugar cane tour
- All tastings
- Reserve entrance fee
- Certified bilingual guide
- Round-trip hotel pickup in the La Fortuna area
Not included
- Lunch
- Photos
- Guide gratuity
- 13% national sales tax
Meeting point & getting there
Departure times
- Every hour, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM
What to bring
- Comfortable shoes
- Sun hat
- Insect repellent
- Rain jacket
Good to know before you book
- Suitable for all ages
- Tell your guide about nut, dairy or caffeine sensitivities before the tastings
Safety
- Roasting happens over an open fire - children are kept at a safe distance
- Cacao and cane products contain natural sugars and caffeine
Children
Children 6-10 pay 50% of the adult rate. Children under 6 join free.
Cancellation policy
Free cancellation up to 48 hours before departure. Inside 48 hours the tour is non-refundable, though we will always try to move you to another date first. Tours run rain or shine; if the operator cancels for safety you are refunded in full.
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