Why Costa Rica Coffee Cultivation Took Root in Brunca

Costa Rica was the first Central American country to grow coffee, introducing the crop in the late 18th century, and its beans were once called golden beans by British buyers. Seven producing regions follow the central mountain range. Brunca sits in the south near Panama, hot and humid with varied microclimates, and its coffee cultivation was long built on commercial-grade lots with ordinary flavor.

Quality in Brunca has risen in recent years. La Torre estate scored 92 points at the latest COE competition, taking second in the natural and honey process category, which points to the region's potential at higher altitudes. After independence, Costa Rica's government handed out seeds free and offered tax exemptions, and the Anglo-Costa Rican Bank, founded in 1863, funded land clearing, planting and processing plants that shaped today's costa coffee history.

All seven countries in Central America produce coffee, and Costa Rica was the first to introduce the crop, whose coffee was once called "golden beans" by the British aristocracy. The country's seven producing regions mostly follow the central mountain range, and among them Brunca lies in the south, bordering Panama, and is known for its hot, humid conditions and diverse microclimates. In the past Brunca was dominated by commercial coffee with relatively ordinary flavor, but in recent years quality has improved markedly. In the latest COE competition, La Torre estate scored 92 points to take second place in the natural & honey process category. This article will review the history of Costa Rican coffee and the layout of its producing regions, and focus on Brunca and La Torre estate's varieties, altitude and competition performance; Front Street Coffee will also interpret the potential of this region for you.

The geographical scope of Central America lies south of the United States and north of Colombia. This central part of the American continent is dominated by plateaus, mountains and forests, and extends a volcanic belt of more than 1,300 kilometers. Long-term accumulation of volcanic ash has made the soil especially fertile, so agriculture thrives, and bananas, coffee and corn are all major local crops. For this reason, seven of the eight countries in Central America produce coffee, and among them are many world-famous origins, such as Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama.

Costa Rica was the earliest among these countries to begin growing coffee. In the late 18th century, the commercial potential of coffee prompted the local introduction and cultivation of this crop. After independence from Spain, the new government vigorously promoted coffee cultivation, distributed seeds to farmers free of charge, and implemented tax exemptions, attracting a large number of people to join the coffee industry.

Later, Costa Rican coffee was exported as far as England and was praised by the British aristocracy as "golden beans," and Britain accordingly increased its investment in the country. In 1863, Costa Rica's Anglo-Costa Rican Bank was established, providing funds for coffee farmers to clear land, cultivate and plant, and build processing plants, promoting the further development of the coffee industry.

Costa Rica's terrain is mainly mountainous and plateau, with the Cordillera mountain system running through the center, numerous volcanoes, rich biodiversity, and vast forests. In terms of climate, it mainly exhibits tropical rainforest and tropical savanna characteristics, with the rainy season concentrated from April to December and the dry season from December to April of the following year. Together, these conditions form the ideal natural and climatic environment required for coffee cultivation.

Costa Rica has seven coffee-producing regions in total: Valley Central Occidental, Valley Central, Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Orosi, Brunca and Turrialba. They are almost all located on the central mountain range.

Among them, Tarrazu is the country's largest and most famous producing region; Brunca's coffee flavor is relatively ordinary and mainly commercial beans, though in recent years it has begun to emphasize and improve quality.

Brunca is located in southern Costa Rica, where the mountains connect with Panama, forming diverse microclimates. The weather here is rather hot and humid, with an average annual temperature of about 24°C. In the recently held Costa Rica COE competition, La Torre estate in the Brunca producing region won second place in the natural & honey process category with 92 points.

La Torre estate belongs to Corazón de Jesús company, which was founded by Alvarado Fonseca and his family. The family began growing coffee in 2012, established the company in 2015, and acquired La Torre estate in 2017.

La Torre estate covers only 2 hectares and is a small experimental farm. It is also one of the earliest farms in the Brunca region to grow the Geisha variety, and at the same time one of the highest-altitude farms in the area, reaching 1,950 meters. The company attaches great importance to protecting the surrounding environment and has always been committed to improving quality through innovative processing techniques and the introduction of new varieties. In 2021, the estate entered the COE competition for the first time and won 5th place, proving that the region can also produce high-quality coffee; this year it went further and achieved a good result of 2nd place.

Front Street Coffee believes that although the Brunca producing region was known in the past for commercial beans, the success of La Torre estate shows that under the microclimates and high-altitude conditions of the southern mountains, specialty varieties such as Geisha are fully capable of contending for the top places in the COE. For coffee lovers who want to explore Costa Rica's non-traditional famous producing regions, Brunca is worth continued attention.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.