La Fortuna - Coffee Quality

Coffee plantations especially in Costa Rica changed how I look at my morning cup.

Costa Rica grows almost exclusively Arabica coffee. Not by accident! Robusta is illegal to plant here.
Why? Because this country chose quality over quantity.

Robusta yields more, grows faster, and is easier to farm.

Arabica is the opposite: slower, more fragile, and far more demanding but with depth, balance, and character.

The guide didn’t hide his frustration with big coffee companies, either: many prioritize volume, blending lower-quality beans to cut costs, while marketing the illusion of “premium.”

And then there’s the reality behind the beans.

Coffee here is still picked by hand. Every day.
On steep mountain slopes.
In heat, rain, and humidity.
At altitude.
With spiders, insects, and the very real danger of snakes.

It’s exhausting, skilled, and physically brutal work far from the romantic image we see on packaging.

The hardest truth? The economics.
A kilo of raw coffee beans can sell for around 30 cents today.
Twenty years ago, that same kilo was worth $1–2.

When prices fall this low, farmers are squeezed. Wages drop. Labor becomes seasonal and outsourced often relying on migrant workers from Nicaragua and Panama, who take on work others can’t afford to do anymore.

It’s not about laziness.
It’s about a system where hard work is undervalued, and the people closest to the product earn the least.

So next time you drink coffee, especially a good Arabica remember:
Quality has a human cost.
And it’s carried uphill, bean by bean.Læs mere