Coffee is clearly essential to Costa Rican coffee and defines much of the habits and routines of daily life. In my home stay, coffee is always consumed in the morning with breakfast and in the afternoon, around four or five before dinnertime. In order to have coffee in the afternoon, it is awkward timing for me. I realized that I always eat dinner around this time, so it’s been an adjustment to eat later in general. In the United States we tend to eat smaller snacks (minus the coffee) later in the night. I’ve also noticed that coffee is always common to drink in the break room at José Figures, the public elementary school in which I am working. In my home stay, when I do make it home in time for afternoon coffee we always have some sort of bread with cream cheese or butter, or some sort of sweet bread, crackers, always some sort of cracker, cookie, or bread with the coffee. As far as when children start drinking coffee, it really depends on the family. Like in the United States, it’s really rare that children drink coffee at a young age. At the same time, no tican adults that I’ve met have disliked coffee. My family could not place an exact age of when the transition happens, but it seems somewhere around high school or college like in the US. Coffee is most commonly served at home, though some coffee shops are starting to catch on. There are local brands such as 1820 and Doka coffee, as well as Organic, Tarrazú, Poas, Fair Trade, Tres Ríos, and others sold at Café Britt. Coffee’s advertisement is mostly directed towards the families, as it is still most popular to consume it at home. With that being said, it seems that the coffee culture is changing a bit because there are more coffee shops in San José that I notice every day. On my walk to school, I pass at least three of them. It is most likely that the influence of globalization and the younger generations are more excited about having coffee outside of the home, in coffee shops.
The coffee culture in the United States begins around high school or college with students studying late and requiring caffeine through coffee (and energy drinks) to make it through the intensity of classes and schoolwork. It seems that the emphasis is not on flavor, culture, or eating with the family- coffee is seen as caffeine in the US. It’s associated with a “quick fix” of energy and the driven, hard workers that are successful in society must consume coffee to get energy. There is often coffee brewed in the mornings in the US and sometimes people will sit down and drink coffee, reading the newspaper, or relaxing in the morning. Unfortunately, this image is most common with the elderly generation and is becoming extinct in our fast paced culture full of “go go go until you need caffeine so you can go go go some more!” There is also a classy, intelligent connotation with coffee and coffee shops. Most colleges and towns have clearly overpriced, smaller locations with poetry readings or local musicians that people can discuss intellectually and drink their coffee. Although there is a mix of most people hurrying to get their coffee and go to their next destination, lots of people have “coffee dates” in these upscale coffee shops. This trend of upscale intellectual discussion outside of the home and family, in overprices coffee shops, I am beginning to see more of in Costa Rica.
Coffee is similar to chocolate in being aware of how it is produced, their working conditions, and who really makes the profit. Obviously, companies are interested in making money and finding new ways to increase demand, decrease profit for the workers, and how many shortcuts they can take to ultimately maximizing profit. This is inevitable, but the standards which Costa Rican coffee distributors try to have are livable wages and most comply with “Fair Trade” regulations, according to Britt coffee plantation. The problem is that it costs money to have “Fair Trade” certification for all of the smaller farms, so only one specialized local plantation of single mothers has the Fair Trade brand coffee and they make a little more money because of it.
Although Fair Trade alone isn’t the answer to eliminating all unfairness in the business world, the more I learn about the food and coffee I consume, the more I strive to be aware. It seems that there really is a value in buying local and building those connections with the people selling coffee, chocolate, or any specialized product to you. I know it’s not possible in all situations and gets really expensive, but my goals are to become an engaged, aware, not wasteful consumer who only buys what I need and is as careful with supporting local and fair wages to those who create what I consume. This is obviously a process seeing as there’s chocolate in a lot of things that I eat and coffee is now essential to my daily routine, at least twice a day. It’s a process though and I think it will ultimately make me healthier and more aware in the long run, as well. Really though, I just LOVE coffee and have become QUITE the coffee snob, so… only the best through these local plantations anyways, right? J
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| Soda at UCR, this was coffee with lunch on a friday afternoon. It's not too common to see coffee in the US at lunch, unless people are raving about exhaughstion or needing a boost of caffiene! Also, note the mug, we use the same style and bright colors at my tico home. |
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| This is one of my favorite parts of Tortuguero (though it was probably my favorite weekend!) THE COFFEE BAR!!! It was at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and I defiently took advantage of every single meal having some coffee. Although a hotel and tourist attraction, to me, it means a lot that it's SO essential to culture that it's served throughout the day, every meal! :) YAY COFFEE!!!! :) |
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| This is the first time I went to a coffee shop in Costa Rica, it was at Monteverde while expliring the local shops and such. They advertized a coffee tour of a local plantation here, so I'm assuming it was local coffee. It was about 4$ to get the coffee drink, but actually worth 4$, unlike at starbucks... in my opinion... This was an iced coffee with some additives for flavor, such as whipped cream, chocolate, and perfection? :) |
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| This was one of my first "typical Costa Rican breakfasts" at Manuel Antonio. It was pretty much that first full week of being in Costa Rica, but the essential coffee was still a part of the experience, in fact, I think I had two or three cups that morning. It was DELICIOUS and just what I needed to prep for a long day! :) (Combination of US lens of viewing and appreciating Costa Rican culture? Yes!!!) |
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