Costa Rica Coffee & Chocolate Festival 2026: Celebrating Artisan Excellence

Costa Rica produces some of the world's finest arabica coffee, with volcanic soil, ideal climate, and skilled cultivation techniques creating exceptional beans. The festival showcases this excellence through cupping sessions, brewing workshops, and farm presentations highlighting different coffee-growing regions including Tarrazú, Central Valley, West Valley, and Tres Ríos. Each region's unique terroir produces distinct flavor profiles that coffee enthusiasts learn to identify and appreciate.

Roasting demonstrations reveal the art and science behind transforming green beans into aromatic coffee. Master roasters explain their approaches, from light roasts preserving origin characteristics to darker roasts developing bold, caramelized flavors. Attendees witness roasting processes and taste beans at various roast levels, developing deeper understanding of how roasting impacts final flavor.

Barista competitions and latte art demonstrations showcase coffee preparation skills. Competitors demonstrate espresso extraction, milk steaming, and creative drink preparation while judges evaluate technique and final product. These performances educate attendees about professional coffee preparation while providing entertainment and inspiration for home coffee enthusiasts.

Costa Rican cacao, while less internationally known than coffee, produces exceptional chocolate with complex flavors reflecting tropical terroir. The festival features chocolate tastings comparing single-origin Costa Rican cacao to international varieties, teaching attendees to identify flavor notes and appreciate quality differences. Chocolatiers demonstrate bean-to-bar processes, revealing transformation from fermented cacao to finished chocolate.

Chocolate-making workshops provide hands-on experiences where participants create their own confections under expert guidance. These sessions cover tempering chocolate, creating truffles, and combining chocolate with Costa Rican ingredients like tropical fruits, coffee, and local spices. Participants leave with both knowledge and handmade treats showcasing their new skills.

Traditional cacao uses in Costa Rican culture receive attention through historical presentations and demonstrations of indigenous preparation methods. From pre-Columbian chocolate drinks to contemporary artisan creations, the festival traces cacao's journey through Costa Rican history while celebrating modern innovations in chocolate production.

Festival packages include tours to working coffee and cacao farms in the Central Valley and surrounding regions. These excursions provide firsthand experience of cultivation, harvesting, and processing, with farmers sharing their knowledge and passion. Visitors walk through coffee plantations at various elevations, learning how altitude affects bean development and flavor profiles.

Wet and dry processing methods are demonstrated at mills where coffee cherries transform into green beans ready for roasting. Understanding these post-harvest processes helps enthusiasts appreciate the work behind quality coffee and recognize differences between washed, honey, and natural processed beans. Similarly, cacao processing from pod to fermented bean reveals complexity behind chocolate production.

Farm tours often include meals prepared with estate-grown products, showcasing coffee and chocolate in culinary applications beyond beverages and confections. These experiences connect attendees with agricultural origins of products they love while supporting small-scale farmers preserving traditional cultivation methods and sustainable practices.

The festival operates across San José with events at the Convention Center, hotels, and cafes throughout the Central Valley. This distributed format allows exploration of Costa Rica's capital while attending festival programming. San José offers cultural attractions including museums, theaters, and historic neighborhoods that complement coffee and chocolate experiences.

Tickets range from $25 USD for single tastings and workshops to $200 USD for comprehensive packages including farm tours and premium events. The accessible pricing encourages broad participation, welcoming casual enthusiasts alongside industry professionals. Multi-day passes provide best value for those planning extensive participation.

January weather in San José is pleasant, with temperatures around 65-75°F (18-24°C) and dry conditions. The highland location creates comfortable climate ideal for coffee growing and festival attendance. Light layers accommodate temperature variations between morning and afternoon, particularly for farm tours at different elevations.

Costa Rica's excellent infrastructure makes festival attendance straightforward. San José's international airport connects to major cities worldwide, while local transportation includes buses, taxis, and rideshare services. Many hotels offer festival packages with shuttle service to events and farm tours.