The Best Costa Rica Coffee Farm Tours: Aquiares & Finca Rosa Blanca
TRAVEL GUIDE: COFFEE FARM TOURS IN COSTA RICA
The Starbucks coffee machine in my office has a digital display which shows a loop of Costa Rican coffee farms. Their beauty was enough to lure me to a couple farms recently … and as a result: I’ll never sip a cup, or order in the drive-thru the same way again!
This is everything you need to know about my two favorite Costa Rican coffee farms:
➡️ CLICK HERE: Aquiares Coffee Farm Tour
➡️ CLICK HERE: Stay at Finca Rosa Blanca
Both are Rainforest Alliance Certified, and take great pride in the steps they’ve made toward environmentally-friendly farming practices, which go beyond sustainability to actually help the surrounding ecosystems.
First is a tour of Aquiares, which is Costa Rica’s largest coffee farm. It’s more of a challenge to get to (about 90 minutes east of San José) but well worth the drive. Plus, the tour includes a horseback ride and a stop at the beautiful Aquiares Waterfall!
Second is a tour of Finca Rosa Blanca. This Costa Rican coffee farm is much closer to San José (only 15 minutes from the airport) and it includes guest houses with 14 unique room configurations to stay in!
Aquiares Coffee Farm Tour
Aquiares is the largest coffee farm in Costa Rica, which offers a great tour. It’s 926 hectares altogether, which is about 2300 acres in size.
The word “Aquiares” means “Tree of Life.” The farm produces high-quality Arabica coffee beans, which are sold under many brand names all over the world. Aquiares is also a major supplier for major coffee companies like Starbucks, Caribou, and Nespresso.
What to Expect on the Aquiares Coffee Farm Tour
We met our coffee farm tour guides, Wilman and Jules at the historic farmhouse for coffee and breakfast before our tour.
Wilman grew up in the area, while Jules is a temporary transplant from Germany, who’s in Aquiares studying and working part-time on the coffee farm.
Outside the main house, you’ll see old wooden ox carts, which were used to haul coffee beans in from the fields. The size of the cart became the official measurement for beans, called a fanega (pronounced: fa-NAY-guh).
Each filled-up fanega will end up producing around 400 liters (more than 100 gallons) of coffee.
During harvest, the pickers will drop off 300 fanegas of beans per day!
From the house, the coffee farm tour begins (on horseback for some of the tour options). Aquiares has a full-time cowboy-of-sorts, named Christian, who takes care of a herd of horses, and leads the way.
A horse named Salome carried me down the paths, across the streams, and through the plantation.
This coffee farm tour also includes a stop at the Aquiares Waterfall, which you can swim in if you’d like!
It’s a nice hike down through the surrounding rainforest and coffee fields:
Aquiares Coffee Farm Tour Options
This is the coffee farm tour I would recommend at Aquiares. It’s a full day, and an unforgettable experience for anyone interested in coffee or agriculture or general Costa Rican culture.
Here’s a look at the itinerary:
- 8:30am: Welcome coffee & pastries at the main house
- 9:00am: Visit the “Ceibo Lookout” (picture the “Tree of Life” from “Avatar”)
- 10:00am: Aquiares Community Church (loved the history!)
- 10:30am: Plant your own coffee tree and pick coffee beans
- 11:30am: Visit the Aquiares Waterfall (swim if you want to cool off!)
- 12:30pm: Lunch at the main house
- 2:00pm: Tour of the bean processing operation
- 3:00pm: Cafeteria & shopping
- 3:30pm: Final coffee tasting
➡️ CLICK HERE TO BOOK this Costa Rican Coffee Farm Tour!
Aquiares Coffee Farm: From Farm to Table
Once picked, the cherries (which contain the coffee beans) are separated, washed, and dried in a metal tumbler, warmed by a fire-fueled furnace. Once tested for quality control, the husk parchment is removed and the beans are sorted by size, density, weight, and color.
You can scroll through photos of the process below:
Specialty Beans at Aquiares
Aquiares has been Rainforest Alliance Certified for decades, and the coffee farm is certified as a “Carbon Neutral” farm by the Costa Rican government.
Aquiares is looking beyond sustainability toward regenerative farming. It’s a journey the farmers have been on for decades. They’ve taken steps to promote biodiversity, minimize emissions, and reduce overall waste on the farm.
The government certified the farm as carbon *negative* through a combination of minimizing emissions in the production process, and the high levels of oxygen the farm’s plants and trees deliver into the atmosphere.
When it comes to cutting emissions, Aquiares has three greenhouses at the mill, where specialty beans are processed and prepared to bring out specific colors and tastes.
The greenhouses have strong aromas of apples, plums, flowers, honey, and even liquor, depending on which one you enter. You can see the cherries oozing with juices.
These select beans don’t go through the rapid furnace-fueled drying process. Instead, it’s emissions-free, using the sun to dry the cherries and beans naturally:
History of the Aquiares Coffee Farm
After the farm was established in the 1800s, brothers from Britain (the Lindos) bought the property and built the lodge to expand the coffee operation in the early 1900s.
These days, a trio of families owns the Aquiares operation.
The Story Behind the Church
The bright yellow church in town, right next to the mil, is nearing its 100-year anniversary in Aquiares.
The Lindo brothers literally built the church to help define the town and create a sense of community.
Though, they didn’t exactly build it. Instead, they had the church shipped in from different parts of Europe.
Close up, you can tell: the siding is metal. The aluminum plates on the outside are from Belgium.
The clock on the tower outside is from Germany.
The stained glass windows inside the church are from Italy.
A century after it was shipped to Costa Rica in pieces, the church remains the heart of Aquiares.
Climate Change & Costa Rica Coffee Farms
Unpredictable rainfall is the main impact of climate change at Aquiares, according to the staff. The formerly well-defined rainy season doesn’t exist anymore. The rains are unpredictable now.
Here’s the anecdote they use as an example from several years ago:
- 2019 was a good year with regular conditions. Aquiares produced 23,000 fanegas of beans.
- 2020 was disrupted by the pandemic. Workers from Nicaragua (who make up half of Aquiares’ pickers) were not permitted to enter Costa Rica to help with the harvest. Still Aquiares produced 17,000 fanegas of coffee beans.
- 2021 was on track to be better. The Nicaraguan workers were back. But … heavy rain in April and May ruined a lot of the flower blooms on the coffee plants. The number of cherries was greatly reduced, and by the end of the harvest, Aquiares only produced 13,000 fanegas of coffee beans. That’s around half the expected harvest…. due to climate change.
🌎 Jared’s Detours BLOG: Biodiversity & Regenerative Farming in Costa Rica
Other Tours around Aquiares & Turrialba
This is the two-hour tour of Aquiares, which includes a tasting. You’ll begin near the church in town.
This is an adventure tour, where you’ll get to walk across hanging bridges, go zip-lining, and rappel down a waterfall.
A guide will take you on a 10-12 hour day trip to two volcanoes and Guayabo National Park.
This is a transport service from the airport (SJO) which will take you anywhere you’d like to go.
Where to Stay near the Coffee Farm
➡️ Hotel near Aquiares: Guayabo
I stayed here, and loved the staff and restaurant! It’s a short drive down to Aquiares.
If I was staying with a group, I’d rent one of these amazing homes with perfect reviews:
➡️ 3 bedroom with wrap-around patio
➡️ 3 bedroom with modern design & views
➡️ 4 bedroom in traditional Costa Rican style
Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Farm
Finca Rosa Blanca is an absolutely gorgeous property, which is just outside Costa Rica’s capital of San José.
The convenience factor is high on this one, especially since the airport (SJO) is only a 20-minute drive!
Still, in that 20 minutes, you’ll be transported to a different world, where you’ll learn a lot about biodiversity and farming.
Finca Rosa Blanca is more of a vacation/relaxation spot, in addition to a coffee farm. It has several guest houses and buildings with 14 unique suites.
The restaurant on site is also first-rate from breakfast through dinner.
Where to Stay
I loved my stay at Finca Rosa Blanca. It’s a stunning property, staffed by friendly people, and it includes a first-rate restaurant.
➡️ CLICK HERE to book Finca Rosa Blanca
While a Jared’s Detours endorsement is more than enough 😀, the folks at Finca Rosa Blanca are also proud of their other awards, including being named as one of National Geographic’s “Unique Lodges of the World,” and one of Fodor’s “100 Best Hotels in the World!”
The Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Farm Tour
You’ll be taken into the fields, which span 30 acres around the hotel and grow high-quality Arabica coffee beans.
The tour is a two-hour nature walk across the plantation, which will take you through the entire cycle of coffee farming and production, from growing the cherries to roasting the beans.
Similar to a wine tour, it includes a tasting and lessons in detecting the aromas and tastes of different types of coffee.
Eco-Friendly Coffee Farming at Finca Rosa Blanca
Sustainability and regenerative agriculture are on display at Finca Rosa Blanca, as they focus on both the environment and the surrounding community.
Their mantra is: sustainability isn’t enough. Regenerative practices are needed to actually improve the environment and combat climate change.
Much like at Aquiares, the farmers at Finca Rosa Blanca planted thousands of shade trees in the coffee fields to boost biodiversity. The trees provide shade for the coffee plants, nitrogen for the soil, and biological corridors for wildlife.
More than 140 species of birds now inhabit the farm.
They added more than 5,000 native species of trees. The carbon-capturing influx of trees helped Finca Rosa Blanca become one of Costa Rica’s first carbon-neutral hotels.
The coffee plants aren’t exactly planted in perfectly straight rows. Instead, they’re planted in conjunction with the natural topography of the farmland. The method reduces erosion and water waste.
As for fertilization, no pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides are used at Finca Rosa Blanca.
The coffee grown here is Rainforest Alliance Certified, and also has sustainability certifications from the Costa Rican National Institute for Coffee, along with the Ministry of Agriculture.
A Unique, Eco-Friendly Lodge
You’ll notice the solar panels on some of the main buildings. All of the hot water is heated by the sun, and much of the electricity at Finca Rosa Blanca is solar-powered.
It’s easy to see the panels catching the afternoon sun here:
The farm has a beautiful pool, complete with a hot tub, a waterfall and an infinity edge, which overlooks the mountains, the valley, and San José off in the distance.
The water in the pool is spring-fed and chemical-free. They use a copper/silver ionization process to sanitize the water. The system is able to kill algae and bacteria without the use of chlorine.
The infinity edge, overlooking the valley isn’t a bad touch either 😀
Add to that, an advanced recycling program and a dedication to farm-to-table meals at the restaurant.
Walking around, or on the tour, you’ll come across barns, used for both recycling purposes and composting. The hotel staff meticulously separates organic waste and piles it in bins to break down.
The compost goes right back into the gardens around the farm.
I loved the restaurant, which has a menu full of locally-grown dishes. The meals are complete with vegetables and herbs grown in the on-site greenhouse.
The gardeners tend to several varieties of lettuce, plus tomatoes, herbs, cucumbers, and more, grown in a big greenhouse down the path from the restaurant:
And it wouldn’t be a farm without a coop full of chickens, which are the start of the delicious farm-to-table breakfast spread:
History & Background of this Costa Rica Coffee Farm
Finca Rosa Blanca is a newer farm, built by the Jampol family just about 40 years ago. Beginning in 1985, they turned a dirt motocross field into the environmentally-friendly coffee farm you can tour today.
Among the unique features: the roof tiles are recycled from an old banana plantation. You only notice from the drone above:
Things to do Around Finca Rosa Blanca
Staying at Finca Rosa Blanca allows you to be close enough to San José to take advantage of these excellent, highly-rated tours:
➡️ Irazu Volcano National Park Tour
This is a half-day tour of the volcano.
➡️ Arenal Volcano, Hot Springs & Waterfall
This is a full-day scenic tour of the region, from San José.
➡️ Arenal Volcano, Rainforest, Waterfall
This tour hits the major spots in the Arenal area, northeast of San José, and is complete with meals.
Costa Rica Coffee Farm Facts
You’ll learn a lot at any of the Costa Rican coffee farms you visit.
The beans grown in Costa Rica are sent all over the world to be roasted by all kinds of brands, ranging from Starbucks, Nespresso, and Caribou, to much smaller locally-owned companies.
While coffee plants can last 100 years or more, the farms typically only allow them to grow for 25 years. They’re cut back and allowed to regrow from the ground up.
Two coffee plants are put in right next to each other at Aquiares. Wilman, our guide, explained that the plants compete (in a way) against each other, trying to produce cherries of both better quality and quantity:
Arabica coffee is considered to be the highest quality beans, and you’ll see them on many Costa Rican coffee farm tours.
Shade trees, planted at both Aquiares and Finca Rosa Blanca, have made a huge difference in terms of sustainability and environmental health of these farms. Shade helps the coffee plants (which used to grow under full sun) and encourages more birds and animals to move into the farm. The biodiversity fertilizes the soil and enhances the entire ecosystem.
Check out our videos, which are full of advice on travel in Costa Rica:
