Britt Coffee Tour, Heredia

Coffee built modern Costa Rica. In the nineteenth century the crop financed the National Theatre, the railways and the country’s first paved roads, and the hills north and west of San José are still dotted with farms, mills and roasteries. The Britt coffee tour takes you to one of them, in the hills of Heredia province, a short drive from the capital. It follows the whole story: the shade-grown plants and how the cherries are picked, the processing that turns red fruit into green beans, the roasting that gives coffee its flavour and the tasting that lets you pick out notes of chocolate, fruit and caramel. Guides are good at explaining the differences between varieties, why altitude matters and how Costa Rica’s rules, which allow only arabica to be grown, protect quality. It is an easy half-day trip from San José and suits travellers who want to understand a product they will drink at every breakfast. The tour we link is a classic version, which covers the farm, the process and a tasting, and it can be combined with other half-day sights in the Central Valley. Check timings and inclusions when you book.

The tour is suitable for most ages and mobility levels. If you want a different estate, Hacienda Doka is on the slopes of Poás and offers a similar story with a different setting. For more food, add the San José food tour or a cooking class.