In late 2012, Starbucks proudly introduced to the world its most expensive cup of coffee: $7 for a “grande” (tall cup) of Geisha grown at Finca Palmillera in the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica. Back then, Starbucks sold a half-pound bag of Finca Palmillera Geisha roast for $40. Meanwhile, at supermarket chains such as Pali and Jumbo, shoppers can find popular brands such as Cafe Rey at $2 for half a pound. There are even cheaper retail options, and some of them are surprisingly good despite their incredibly low prices.

Vanessa Ho of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer offered her take on the Finca Palmeira coffee:

At a tasting event Monday at Starbucks’ East Olive Way store in Capitol Hill, green coffee specialist Leslie Wolford described the brew with some delicious-sounding words.

“Lush, tropical, hints of white, not yellow, peach,” she said. “A little bit of pineapple. Herbal complexity. Super-clean. Vibrant. Sparklingness.” As for the price, she likened it to an indulgence in fine wine.

So who’s going to buy it?

For starters, not drive-through drinkers; Starbucks is only selling it in stores with Clover brewing machines. And not East Coast Dunkin’ Donut types.

A 250 gram (half-pound) of coffee in Costa Rica can yield between 15 and 20 cups of drip (filtered) brew. Some of the most popular retail brands such as Cafe Dorado, Rey, 1820, Volio, etc., regularly purchase beans from farms in Dota, Los Santos, Tarrazu, and other premium coffee-producing regions. What this means for coffee lovers in Costa Rica is that they don’t have to pay too much for great coffee. The rampant inflation and exorbitant cost of life in Costa Rica has many fixed-income expats feeling the financial blues, but it has not yet reached the retail coffee world.

Coffee lovers who can’t shell out $2 for half-pound bags of the most popular brands in Costa Rica do not have to worry: Ultra-cheap options are available at many supermarkets, and some of them are quite good. The Costa Rica Star has evaluated four brands of cheap coffee in Costa Rica, and here are the results. Please keep in mind that retail prices in Costa Rica can change without notice.

Cafe Maravilloso

At about $1.50 for a 200 gram bag at Jumbo supermarkets, owned by Corporacion Gessa, Cafe Maravilloso is wonderful on the wallet. This coffee can easily rival 1820, Cafe Dorado and Cafe Britt; it is just a bit bolder and features zero bitterness and a great aroma when brewing. For its low price, it is a great-tasting coffee.

Cafe Sabemas

This coffee is found at Wal-Mart supermarkets such as Pali and Mas x Menos for about $0.25 less than the leading Cafe Dorado and Rey brands. There is really not much of a difference in taste, but the ugly half-pound bag is not going to look good in any kitchen. In Costa Rica, the Sabemas brand is tantamount to Wal-Mart’s Equate in the U.S.

Cafe Nosara

The low price of $1.30 for a 200 gram bag of Cafe Nosara at Jumbo explains the diminished quality control and uneven roast of this coffee. Bits of branches and leaves are sometimes mixed in with the ground beans, but that’s what filters are for. This coffee, however, tastes much better than it looks; its hints of chocolate and overall robustness may be a bit bolder for some tastes, so it pays to experiment with the amount of water/milk/sugar used.

Cafe Suli

In Costa Rica, the Suli brand can be found at Wal-Mart supermarkets, especially at Pali, and it is even cheaper than Sabemas. Cafe Suli is just $1 for a 200 gram bag, and it used to taste like the watered-down remnants of an old can of decaffeinated Folgers in the U.S.; however, The Costa Rica Star is pleased to report that the Suli brand is now roasted by Cafe Montana, a respected coffee producer that competes against the likes of 1820 with brands such as Montico and Montana. This is as cheap as you can get to quality coffee in Costa Rica.