Introduction
Coffee is one of Costa Rican’s most important legacies. The volcanic soil of our farm is an integral part of one of the most established traditions of our country, producing one of the best coffees in the world.  Of African origin, Arabic coffee made its way around the world to the beautiful Costa Rican mountains by the 19th century. To this day, Don Juan owns 2 acres of coffee, and 3 acres consisting of living things; not only coffee. There are a wide variety of fruit trees, birds, butterflies. Thanks to the beautiful area where our coffee farm lies, many people from all over the world visit us on a regular basis. Be one of those people that come to visit Monteverde, and be sure to stop by our farm and get a thorough explanation of the making of coffee, as well as a free cup of delectable coffee.

History
After its first exportation in 1820, the industry that would lead Costa Rica through its first steps towards independence emerged rapidly.  During the 1800´s, Costa Rica was part of the Republic of Guatemala, and the poorest province in Central America. In 1832, Chile found out about this and traded books for educating the ¨ticos¨ for coffee. The Chileans put their labels on the Costa Rican coffee and sent it to England. One year later, thanks to a businessman from England who wanted to see the coffee farms in Chile, Costa Rica´s coffee was made known. There were no coffee farms in Chile. Chile had to tell the businessman to go to Costa Rica.  By 1850 the British were drinking Costa Rican coffee, which thanks to its quality, quickly established itself on the market.  Europe became Costa Rica's main trading partner, and coffee was Costa Rica's principal source of income. Because of coffee and our strong economy, Costa Rica is now one of the wealthiest countries in Central America.


The Coffee Farm
Thanks to the rich volcanic soil that carpets our beautiful mountains, Monteverde is known for its highest quality coffee.  The combination of appropriate altitude, excellent production techniques and the use of 100% Arabian coffee makes each coffee bean of a source of pride for Costa Ricans. The germination bed is where we begin the first steps of growing our coffee plants. After waiting for two years, we are ready to collect the berries and begin the process of making coffee.

Harvesting Season
We maintain the tradition of picking coffee by hand using baskets.  With a basket and a rope tied around you, the Costa Ricans work from sun up to sun down from November to March. At our collection point we use the old methods of our grandparents as well as modern techniques to process our coffee. ¨El Chancador¨ is used to separate the beans from the husks. You will see the old-fashioned way of separating the shell from the bean by using a morder and pistol. In many of these stations that you will be exposed to, you will be able to participate in how the Costa Ricans made coffee nearly 200 years ago.

Drying
To obtain that delicious cup of coffee, it is better sun-dried than machine dried. After two days of drying on cement, we take the coffee to the greenhouses for 5 days. To age the beans and make them taste at their perfection we put the coffee in sacs for no more than two months. The longer the coffee ages, the better taste it has. After drying, we are closer to the precious moment when we can taste a delicious cup of coffee.

Roaster
Finally…that savory aroma! 
There’s nothing like fresh coffee.  Once aged and processed the old-fashioned way, we reach the final step.  To obtain dark roast takes 5-10 minutes longer than the light roast. Whether light or dark roast, the special touch at Don Juan’s is at its exceptional point!

Coffee
At the most enticing part of our tour, you will taste our delicious coffee with a citric touch. Café Don Juan.  Relax and enjoy one of the best coffees in the world!

Learn about the art of coffee production.  Reserve now!