Tour of Cafe Brit

Our Wednesday morning tour of Cafe Brit was very interesting and informative.

The tour is set up in a corny theatrical way, with a man and a women dressed up as old-fashioned coffee bean-pickers describing how the coffee is made.

the introduction of our Cafe Brit tour

We were taken through a jungle of coffee plants and learned what the best climates and seasons are for picking the coffee beans.  Interestingly enough, the seeds are green when they are picked!  Those are then shelled, which reveal a brown bean.

the coffee bean seed

We were then taken into the factory where the beans are converted into coffee. We learned about the different roasts and processing time required for each type of coffee.

the factory where they make the coffee

Then we went into a theater to learn what happens to coffee once it is made.  We learned that when coffee is taste-tested, it is COLD (interesting!), since one can taste its flavor better when it is not hot.  They slurp the coffee from a spoon loudly, as Colby is learning onstage below, in order for the coffee to hit all taste buds on the tongue.

Colby learning how to test coffee to taste

We also learned the history of coffee in Costa Rica, the discovery of the coffee bean, and how it became so important to Costa Rica's culture.

THEN, for our favorite part, we were all taken to the restaurant portion of Cafe Brit and were served a delicious lunch (one of the best we had in all of Costa Rica) of Costa Rican staples like tortillas in mango salsa and great pasta.  The iced coffee was to die for!

the iced coffee was SO good!

Also, in the gift shop, everyone went crazy for the chocolate covered coffee beans, chocolate covered guanabana, and chocolate covered macadamias.  These were my family's favorite when I brought them back!