Are you a coffee lover in Costa Rica? If your answer is yes, you may want to rush to La Sabana Metropolitan Park in the lovable city of San Jose before 1:00 pm today and enjoy the best coffee our dedicated farmers and roasters have to offer. September 12^th is the day we celebrate National Coffee Day, and everyone is invited to enjoy our best beans and learn more about why Costa Rica’s coffee is often considered to among the best in the world.

 

A special coffee exhibit organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (respective Spanish acronyms: MAG and iCafe) will be in place at the MAG’s headquarters office located in the southern neighborhood surrounding La Sabana, not far from the Chinese-donated National Stadium. The exhibit, which takes place from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm is arranged in a manner similar to a farmer’s market so that attendees can taste and purchase some of the best coffee our land has to offer.

 

This year’s celebration will recognize the excellent coffee produced by Luis Enrique Navarro, the proud winner of this year’s Cup of Excellence, which is an international competition to determine the finest, and often most expensive, roasted beans in the world. Don Luis Enrique’s coffee is grown in the Dota Valley, a region that connoisseurs are very familiar with. In 2012, The Costa Rica Star reported at length on the Cup of Excellence:

 

According to the Fine Coffees Association of Costa Rica (SCACR in Spanish), the Cup of Excellence began with 96 different roasts submitted by domestic producers. Different types of growers and roasters participate, from the massive sun coffee farms that export thousands of metric tons to the small coops and family operations that only have a handful of choice clients. After several rounds of cupping, around 25 domestic and international roasts are submitted to an online auction […] In the past, winning roasts at the auctions have fetched prices around $27 per pound. Last year’s winner, La Estrella from Dota went for $20 at the auction.

 

If you would like to learn more about the fine coffee industry in Costa Rica, including how you can sign up for special tours that involve tasting coffee along with delicious, farm-fresh snacks, we invite to read our previous article Coffee Cupping and Tours in Costa Rica. If you are on a budget but still want to enjoy fine coffee in Costa Rica, we have a special guide that you may want to review before you head to the supermarket and spend less than $2 per half pound.

 

Although National Coffee Day was enacted in 1988, the exact day of celebration has changed over the years. It started on September 9^th, but it is often adjusted whenever Independence Day (September 15^th) falls between Friday and Monday on any given year. The fair celebrating National Coffee Day kicks off the Independence Day festivities, which include the arrival of the Central American Torch of Freedom and Peace, the Night of the Lanterns and numerous parades and civic acts.