www.CostaRicaTicas.com

The best cup of coffee I have found thus far in San Jose, Costa Rica is at

Restaurante La Flor
Av. 1a. De Hotel El Rey 125 Oeste
Telefono 257-1561

I go for a strong and smoky coffee, that is much like Starbucks " bold of the day ". French and Vienna roasts are my favorite.

Stop in and say hello to Bill McDonald ( Propietario ) and Flor Chaves ( Administradora ).

I would love to hear from fellow members about their finds for "Best fresh" in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Any better location directions?
Avenue and Calle?

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PacoLoco: "You pay for it one way or another."
Ace: "Rent everything, do not buy in Costa Rica"

I still say the sidewalk hole in the wall next to Pensiones Calle 6 and Avenida 5. 15 cents and served in a glass. It has a smokey flavor, or maybe that is the smoke from the burning breakfast. or maybe that is the smoke from the smoldering looks the local little darlings give you. or, maybe I'm just blowing smoke.

c'mon guys, more nominations please.

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The difference between a Sea Story and a Fairy Tale is that a Fairy Tale starts out 'Once Upon a Time..' and a Sea Story starts out 'This is no Shit...'

(export version only, some restrictions may apply, some assembly required, not valid where the sun don't shine...

if you live in the states of Poverty, Darkness or anywhere outside of The Blessings of Civilization Trust, Inc...other rules may apply)

Is next door to Dos Gringos almost directly across from Centerfolds. Avenida 1 Calle 7

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I never get past the News Cafe or HDR.
Not to change the subject but am also curious in members favorite brands to bring home, it's interesting every few months Mas x menos has a couple new brands on the shelf. On a scale of 1-5, (5 best) here's mine:
Cafe Brit light roast- 5
Montana- 4
1820- 3.75
Rey selecto- 3.5

And the best te frio I've had has to be the little (Argentenian?) place next door to Princesa Marina in Sabana (also serves great empanadas!) damn I'm hungry.

puracafe!

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Living well is the best revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwUtj_YnNoY

When I lived in Miami I use to order Sun Burst dark roast. At that time is was $6.25 a pound delivered. Just looked at their website and it has increased in price considerably.

http://www.sunburstcoffee.com/

For the past 3 years have used Cafe Volio. Cost is about $2.10 a pound (1150 colones for 500 grams). They have stuff they sell as special export pack at a higher price. Never have tried that.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Cafe Rey Premium-comes in a green bag. Walk around any supermercado or pulperia and check out all the different blends they carry. It is amazing.

dapanz1

Cafe Rey premium dark roast is very good. Every bit as good as a bag of 12$ a lb starbucks coffee.

Britt coffee is not worth the extra cost.

Volio , montana, and 1820 are also good. Some of the brands, dorado,etc are not very good.

I think Dunkin' Donuts has the best coffee!
MG

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You ALWAYS have an option ....... "NEXT" !!!

Everyone's taste buds are different but my 2 favorites are both from Cafe Britt. I like the Poas and the Organic one's the best. Over the past year I've bought a bag of every brand that I could find and I like those 2 the best. Almost all of them have been very good though.

I think the coffee at Denny's is the best

I think using beans you roast yourself gives the best coffee. You can experiment with the roast and the beans to see what appeals to you most.
And there's nothing like that smell of freshly roasted coffee beans in the morning.
Admittedly, I haven't done much of that since I've been going to CR since good quality coffee is only @ 2.00 / lb and I picked up some new stuff I haven't tried yet.
Cafe Puro from the Mercado Central was okay, and Cafe Britt cooks up nicely - I'm more the Tres Rios and Espresso from there.

As Sensei VB remarked 'You can't get a bad cup of coffee in CR!'

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Butchering the Spanish Language since 2005

I recently noticed the Quik Trips here at home are offering Costa Rican coffee. They may have been doing this for some time, but I just noticed. Can't really tell the difference at 6 in the morning, but the idea alone starts my day off well. Wile Coyote

Brought home 8 lb's of Montana beans in Dec. Sippin on some now as I type. If ya go quad runnin with Gary from Paradiso you can buy for $5 a pound at the spot where you eat. Mario (property owner) grows beans on his Mountain (where you go quad runnin) and his bro is a major prosessor. I'd of bought more but he ran out. This coffee reminds me of Kona coffee without the $20 a pound price.

If you really want to enjoy coffee, roast your own. I order Costa Rican green beans from the Tarrazu Valley region for $5 per pound. Nowadays I use a home roaster that cost about $70, but I used a regular hot-air popcorn popper for years. You can find all you need to know about home roasting and buying green beans at:

http://www.sweetmarias.com/

Costa Rica is one of few places in Latin America where you can find good coffee. Most Latin American countries export their good stuff and keep the low-grade coffee for local consumption. However, Costa Rica is an exception to that practice. When I’m in SJO, I buy Cafe Britt to brew in my room.

I recall ordering coffee at a restaurant in Peru, and they brought me a tiny vase of liquid with the color and consistency of used motor oil. The waiter showed me how to poor a small amount into a cup and add hot water. It turned out to be condensed coffee, and was the worst cup I have ever had. I guess that’s one reason most Peruvians don’t drink coffee, they prefer coca-leaf tea.