If you’re interested in taking your coffee knowledge to the next level, look no further. There are plenty of Costa Rican terms you may already know: Mae, Pura Vida, and Tuanis. Here’s a list of some of the other most commonly used words on Costa Rican coffee plantations that will take your coffee expertise to the next level.
Coffee plantation
Terms used for “farm,” “estate,” or “plantation”
The coffee plant.
Name for the coffee processing plant where coffee fruit is transformed into green coffee beans
Type of blend consisting of coffee from only one location or plot of land
Official unit of measurement established by the Costa Rican government to measure coffee picking
Foreman of the plantation, responsible for giving workers their assignments each day
Literally translated “street” this term refers to the row of red coffee the pickers will be responsible on a given day
Branch of the coffee plant with many beans growing from it
Basket coffee pickers wear on their waist to put coffee cherries in
Also known as peaberries, these are a rare type of coffee bean where only one of the two seeds present in the bean becomes fertilized
Highest quality coffee beans. They grow slowly and at higher altitudes son the flavors are richly concentrated.
This type of Coffee Arabica is a cross between the Mundo Novo and Caturra varieties Red (rojo) and yellow (amarillo).
This variation of the coffee Bourbon originated in Brazil. Although it is difficult to grow, it produces a large quantity of quality beans.
This Botanical variety of coffee Arábica first appeared on the island of Bourbon (now known as Reunion).
This older variety of Coffee Arábica is known for its copper leaves and elongated beans. It is often grown in the shade and tends to be lower yielding.
Also known as the silverskin or parchment, this is the thin, paper-like wrapping that remains on a coffee bean after the skin and pulp have been removed
