Hacienda Doka - Coffee Tour
- chebelladonna
- Jan 7, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Feb 17, 2025
As a life long lover of coffee (even though I have recently given up caffeine) I was always intrigued to see how coffee is produced. On my recent trip to Costa Rica we had the opportunity to visit Hacienda Doka, a small production fair trade, coffee farm. Costa Rica produces 100% robusta coffee, a premium type of coffee, as differentiated to arabica coffee which is larger, and grows more quickly.
They guided us through the process from seed to cup. The baby plants are kept together in the nursery for six months, and then they are planted throughout the farm. The plants need to grow for approximately four years before they produce coffee. The harvest season takes three months each year, from November to January. The plants flower in April and smell like jasmine.
The biggest threat to coffee is fungus. Too much rain is a concern. It's a dance to make sure the plants receive enough sunlight, but also not too much. Other plants and flowers are planted within the coffee plants to help to maintain a delicate eco system. One of the biggest friends to the coffee plant, are banana trees which provide much needed shade and protection.
Coffee is picked by hand in baskets that are strapped to the waist. Costa Rica nationally regulates the size of a unit of coffee picked and how much workers are paid per unit. The individual farms cannot pay higher or lower rates. At Hacienda Doka, the workers and their families are invited to live on site together. Free daycare is provided for the children.
The coffee has to be processed the same day it is picked. The coffee berries need to be cleaned, debris removed and cracked open to remove the various outer casings to reveal two golden beans in each berry. They look like peanuts. All the waste is used as compost throughout the farm.
Once everything is cleaned and separated the coffee is set out to dry in the sun for several days. It is raked often throughout the day. In the event of rain the coffee needs to be tarped to keep it dry. It is also put through a mechanical drying process at the end to ensure consistency.
And then the coffee is roasted - either light or dark. The various blends are a mix of light and dark, and of a special type of coffee called peaberry. Peaberry coffee occurs when the berry only produces one bean, instead of two. This mutation only happens about 5% of the time and is said to be sweeter and more flavourful. The peaberry coffee is hand picked out of the lot. As for decaf, did you know that the extracted caffeine is used to fuel energy drinks?
Coffee production uses a lot of water to clean and extract the beans. Hacienda Doka has recently upgraded its technology to increase efficiency and to reduce the amount of water used to become more environmentally friendly. It was obvious from the tour that Doka wants to help develop sustainable practices for the long haul.
Historically, dating back to the 1800's coffee was transported from the highlands to the coast for export by ship. The coffee was placed in brightly painted wagons that were pulled by ox. The journey to the coast took six days one way! These brightly painted carts are a national symbol of Costa Rica.
Logistically, Hacienda Doka extends tours up the Poas Volcano and a nearby waterfall. We didn't partake, but it's an option and I have no doubt, well organized. They also offer an on site lunch as an option. It was a typical plate called a casada, which means married in Spanish. Basically it's a mx of foods - rice, beans, salad, meat and roasted vegetables. It was delicious. Lunch was served on a pleasant open air terrace looking over the farm. I would recommend. https://www.haciendadoka.com
The next time you are groggily making coffee in the morning, or mindlessly pouring a cup to get through the afternoon take a pause of gratitude for the land and the people that produced this amazing drink that pleases so many, the world over.
