Juan Gabriel Cespedes beat out 36 other coffee tasters from around the world to become the first Latin American to win the 2015 World Cup Tasters Championship.
Costa Rica is the third most recognized coffee-producing country for consumers in the United States, behind Colombia and Brazil, according to a survey by the National Coffee Association, released last week.
Growing coffee — a reliable staple in Central America — has become increasingly risky in recent years as climate change has caused evermore extreme weather. But farmers who take on this heightened risk are not reaping greater rewards due to a constellation of factors from volatile coffee markets to droughts to inefficient management, according to experts at Costa Rica's annual Sintercafe coffee trade conference.
A new smart phone app could help warn coffee farmers in Costa Rica about an impending outbreak of the fungus roya, or other pests. Developed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, Satcafe crowdsources information from farmers across Central America to help avoid another region-wide coffee plague.
The breakaway favorite of Costa Rica’s 2014 Cup of Excellence competition took home the highest bid in the Alliance for Coffee Excellence international auction Tuesday, netting over $60,000.
The Costa Rican Coffee Institute (ICAFÉ) on Tuesday said current estimates indicate the 2014-2015 coffee harvest will be better than the previous season, due mostly to the implementation of better agricultural practices and actions to control rust fungus.
The anticipation was palpable Friday night as a room of producers from across Costa Rica met at the Costa Rican Coffee Institute’s field office in San Pedro de Barva, Heredia, to hear who would win the honor of the best coffee in a country renowned for its high quality beans.
