Our third day in Arenal was the only one where we had two different tours in the same day. In the morning, most of the group zip lined (a few opted out and relaxed at the hotel) and in the afternoon we all went on a coffee and chocolate tour. This tour was really more for the adults, although we hoped the chocolate part would be enough to keep the kids interested.
We were picked up at the hotel and taken to North Fields Coffee, a small family-owned coffee plantation. Our group of 16 was in one tour group and the remaining guests were split into another. We headed to the chocolate part of the tour first (yay!) while they went to the coffee part.
Both the chocolate and the coffee tours had stations set up throughout the farm where they showed us different parts of the respective harvesting processes. First up was a covered area where we learned about how cacao pods are harvested. We learned how they are grown and picked and then how the pods are broken open to separate out the beans. Our guide used a small machete to break a pod open and we all sampled a bean, sucking on the surrounding pulp and then spitting out the bean.
We then walked through the cacao trees on our way to the next station, checking out the pods growing out of the tree trunks.
Next we learned about how they process the cacao, from fermentation to drying to aging the beans. During fermentation, the beans are put into wooden boxes where they shed their pulp as the sugar and starches are broken down. After fermentation, the beans are dried and then aged and stored until sold.
And finally, the part the kids (and adults!) had all been waiting for… the tasting! We all gathered at tables under a tent and watched as our guide roasted the cacao beans and then de-shelled them, separating the cacao nib from the shell. The nibs were then put in the grinder to turn them into a powder. We got to sample the nibs but were warned to only take the tiniest bit of it because it was super bitter. As you could see from the kids faces, even a tiny bit was too much!
We tried increasingly sweeter samples after that first one and the kids had a whole lot happier faces. Our guide also provided a variety of flavors that we could mix in with our chocolate, such as vanilla and cinnamon. It was delicious!
After we finished with the chocolate part of the tour, we had a quick bonus demonstration on the way to the coffee tour – sugarcane! Costa Ricans must love their sugarcane. We also had a sugarcane demonstration as an add-on to our whitewater rafting. We all knew the process but it was great to give some of the other kids a turn at pressing the cane to collect its juice.
After sampling our sugarcane juice, we headed to the next tent to learn about coffee. A woman was already there roasting some coffee beans over a fire pit. We learned about the roasting process and then sampled some coffee. Spoiler alert – Starbucks and pretty much all brand-name American coffee is made from over roasted (burned) beans.
After watching the roasting process and sampling some coffee, we headed back out into the farm to learn a little more about how coffee is grown. Coffee plants are smallish and bush-like. The beans actually come from inside cherries that grow in clusters on the plants.
At the end we returned to the main building and had a proper coffee tasting. The traditional Costa Rican brewing process uses a “pour over” method, where ground coffee is put in a filter and hot water is poured over it. Our guide used a vandola, a clay jug inspired by pre-Colombian art. It is a very hands-on, timing consuming process to brew your coffee in a vandola but is well worth the effort.
Overall we really enjoyed this educational (and delicious!) tour. Our guide was really knowledgeable and we learned a lot about how both chocolate and coffee are made. The tour was definitely geared towards adults but the kids, although bored at times, had an enjoyable experience overall. (Thank goodness for chocolate!)
