← The Coffee Origins

Country profile

Costa Rica coffee

Costa Rica's arabica grows around 700–1,900 m, from the Central and West Valleys to Los Santos (Tarrazú), and is picked from October to March, into April on high farms.

Most lots are washed; honey and natural lots are common too, and they tend to bring sweetness and fruit forward. Importers describe its coffees with honey, chocolate and fruit notes.

PACIFIC OCEANCARIBBEAN SEA NICARAGUAPANAMA Los Santos / Tarrazú West Valley Central Valley Turrialba
Costa RicaA detail from The Coffee Origins

At a glance

JFMAMJJASOND

  • Main harvest
  • Edge month, a margin we add: picking may start early or run late
 meterssea level5001,0001,5002,0002,5001,9007002,300–6,230 ft
Harvest
Oct–MarSucafina's and Mercanta's calendar. Apex gives November–March and Café Imports December–April. District and elevation matter; highland picking can continue into April.Calendar from Sucafina and Mercanta, checked October 2026. Compared with Apex Coffee Imports and Café Imports.
Altitude
700–1,900 m (2,300–6,230 ft)Importer sourcing band, not every district's full range.Band from Sucafina's 2026 handbook.
Production
1.2 million 60 kg bags (2026/27 forecast)USDA Foreign Agricultural Service forecast, published July 2026.
Varieties
Caturra, Catuai, Villa Sarchi, Bourbon
Processing
Washed, Honey, NaturalThe usual methods; individual lots vary (see the lots below).
Regions
Los Santos / Tarrazú, West Valley, Central Valley, Turrialba
Often described as
honey, chocolate, fruit

See Costa Rica on the map, and compare it →

How its coffees are described

Importers usually describe Costa Rica's coffees as honey, chocolate, fruit. Honey/natural processing can emphasize sweetness and fruit; washed regional profiles vary. These are tendencies, not a promise about a particular bag.

Roasters' words

Roasters described 20 single-origin lots from Costa Rica in our catalog sample (320 lots from 38 specialty roasters, recorded January–March 2026); these are the notes they used most. Each opens in the Flavor Bloom with an exercise to train your nose on it.

Why two counts: the Flavor Bloom counts the 272 of those 320 lots that are single origins and name a tasting note, leaving out blends, co-ferments and descriptions that name no note. Costa Rica's 20 are among them; the other one of its 21 lots isn't.

All 21 lots, as roasters described them (winter 2026) · 20 single-origin lots with tasting notes are counted above

Lots are seasonal: this is a record of how roasters described these coffees in early 2026, not a list of what's in stock.

LotRoasterProcessRoastRoaster's notes
La Minita, Costa RicaGeorge Howell CoffeeWashedLightmilk chocolate
Costa Rica, La PastoraMethodical CoffeeWashedLightalmond, gingersnap, plum
Ivan Gutierrez SL28 - Washed Process - 2025Passenger CoffeeWashedLighttoffee, cranberry, citrus
Costa Rica Don Joel KeniaRuby Coffee RoastersWashedLightblack currant, grapefruit, brown sugar, plum
Costa Rica Puente Tarrazú GeshaEquator CoffeesWashedLightwhite peach, yuzu, gardenia
Ivan Gutierrez Gesha - Washed Process - 2025Passenger CoffeeWashedLightbergamot, papaya, vanilla
San Isidro Labrador - Washed Process - 2025Passenger CoffeeWashedLightplum, raw honey
Volcan Azul - Costa Rica - Natural SL28April Coffee RoastersNaturalLightred fruits, brown spice, cooked apple
Costa Rica - Las Lajas - Black HoneyBrandywine Coffee RoastersNaturalLighthoneycrisp apples, rainier cherry, caramel
Costa Rica - Tirra - NaturalBrandywine Coffee RoastersNaturalLightkiwi, watermelon, raspberry
Cerro San Luis, HoneyFive Senses CoffeeNaturalLightcherry, plum, peach tea
Costa Rica, La GuacaMethodical CoffeeNaturalLightmelon, cherry, chocolate
Costa Rica Don Joel Villa SarchiRuby Coffee RoastersNaturalMedium-lightgreen apple, snickerdoodle cookie, caramel, pecan
Costa Rica Don Cayito Typica Mejorado White Honey Farmlevel ReserveVerve Coffee RoastersNaturalLight—
Dota Dark, Costa RicaGeorge Howell CoffeeWashedDarkdark chocolate, caramel
COSTA RICA | Las Lajas Micromill | Caturra & Catuai | Red HoneyProud Mary CoffeeHoneyMedium-lightmandarin orange, brown sugar, caramel, butterscotch
Costa Rica Allan OviedoTemple Coffee RoastersHoneyLightraw sugar, cashew, honeydew melon
Sustainable Profile Coffee - DecafApril Coffee RoastersHoneyMediumraisins, nougat, red fruit
Doña Daisy, Red Honey Gesha, Costa RicaDrop Coffee RoastersHoneyLightgreen apple and black tea
Dota Medium, Costa RicaGeorge Howell CoffeeWashedMediumdark chocolate, cherry, orange
Las Margaritas - Honey Process - 2025Passenger CoffeeHoneyLightpraline, passionfruit, cocoa

Read more

Brew it

Single origins show their character best brewed clean. The Brew Guide starts you on a V60; if the cup comes out sour or bitter, Fix My Coffee finds the one change to make. Brewing Constellations shows how other brewers change the cup.

The nearest country pages

Panama · Nicaragua · Honduras · El Salvador

Sources