The history and development of Costa Rica has been tied to coffee plantations, and no trip to Costa Rica would be complete without the cultural experience of a coffee tour. Espiritu Santo’s 640 acre high-quality Arabica coffee plantation sits in the picturesque rolling mountains of Naranjo, conveniently located near the handcraft center of Sarchi. From San Jose, it lies in route to many northern destinations including Arenal, Monteverde, and Guanacaste.

At the Espiritu Santo Coffee Tour you will learn from enthusiastic guides how this organic coffee is grown, cared-for, harvested, and processed to produce some of the world’s best coffee beans. At the same time, you will have the chance to learn about Costa Rican history and taste a freshly roasted cup.

The Espiritu Santo Coffee project was inaugurated in 2007, and it is part of a large farmer’s cooperative called Coopronaranjo R.L. The cooperative was established over 40 years ago, and it is composed of more than 2,500 farmers from throughout the region. Due to its great environmental and community practices, Espritu Santo Coffee has earned a Rainforest Alliance seal of approval in addition to its many awards for quality. Six-five percent of the cooperative's gourmet coffee bean production is shipped to companies, such as Starbucks, Petes Coffee and Caribu Coffee Company in the United States and Europe, while the remainder is consumed here in Costa Rica.

Tour

The tour begins at the rancho “El Mirador” where the tour guides introduce themselves and give a brief introduction to Espiritu Santo. Visitors will have the chance to sit down and enjoy a fresh sample of Espiritu Santo’s gourmet coffee, while looking out over the plantation’s beautiful coffee rows.

Once the group is ready, the tour continues on a short path through the plantation. Along this trail, visitors learn about the growth of coffee plants, from seedlings in nurseries to the time they are planted and picked in the plantations.

After walking along the plantation, visitors soon find themselves at the wet processing mill, where they can learn about how the coffee beans are measured, peeled, selected, and dried. Once the coffee beans are completely dry, it’s time for roasting, and Espiritu Santo’s aromatic roasting room is one or the biggest in Costa Rica. In the roasting room, visitors can view the large roasting machinery, and they can see the roasting process in action.

Before the tour concludes, visitors have the chance to visit an old traditional house, La Casita de Juancho, where they witness how coffee was brewed in the time before coffee makers, and why some people still prefer to use a chorreador. Finally, the tour ends at the retail coffee shop, where visitors can stock up on delicious chocolate-covered coffee beans and more.

The tour itself runs about an hour in duration. However, for those with a little more time, Espiritu Santo also offers wagon rides through the plantation and a tasting room, where visitors can educate their taste buds to recognize good coffee. The plantation is a great cultural experience for those arriving in Costa Rica, and it is an excellent stop over point for those making their way to Arenal or Guanacaste.