Coffee!

My tica family does not drink a lot of coffee. My tica mom, the one who would normally offer coffee to people, prefers tea and I think that this influences their views on coffee. Really, my dad is the only one in my family who drinks coffee. That means that my mom doesn't only offer coffee when people come over, but instead offers a wide range of options to her guest (tea, fresco, water, etc.). My family also does not have tons of money, so they do not go out often, and definitely not for coffee when they could make that at home.
This realization really connected, for me, with the idea that the "coffeehouse" has changed. When coffeehouses first started, they were cheap and generally anyone could go. They were big and were a great place for communication across the classes. Now, however, there are people who simply cannot afford to go to a coffeehouse. Coffeehouses now are also smaller and more reserved. Kaldi, for example, plays classical music over the sound system and gives out menus with gold styling on the front. This is very different from the coffeehouses of the past.

Kaldi's fancy coffee (compare this image with a simple mug of coffee you would serve in your house or might have been served at an original coffeehouse)

My dad, however, drinks a lot of coffee. He very rarely makes it himself, though. I have observed that my tica mom usually makes it for him and that this is almost an expression of caring for him. She makes him coffee to show that she loves him and wants him to be happy. In that sense, coffee clearly represents more than just a beverage.
This was very similar to my family back home. My mom always says, "You know you've found a good man when you wake up to him putting a mug of hot coffee on your nightstand." This same gesture of love is used for both of my families. Some of this, I believe, is that coffee is not particularly easy to make; there is more involved than just pouring it in a cup. Taking the time to make the coffee (or even grinding the beans fresh as my dad used to do) represents caring for the person you are serving it to.
Another similarity is that coffee is used as a comfort food in both cultures. I have noticed people in both countries who say, "I just had a bad day and really needed a nice cup of coffee." In Costa Rica, I believe that this is because the coffee is reminiscent of home and family. In the past, although not as much anymore according to my tica family, coffee brought families together and was symbolic of cultural values. For many ticans, this sentiment still holds and reminds them of the ones they love.