Just five minutes from Chayote Lodge, and far from conventional tourist routes, Don Carlos and Doña María welcome visitors into their home. This is not a coffee farm designed for mass tourism; first and foremost, it is a family home. A place where coffee is not presented merely as a product, but as heritage, daily work, and a way of life.
Don Carlos and Doña María come from a coffee-growing family that has cultivated coffee for generations, producing what is today considered one of Costa Rica’s finest coffees: Café Arbar. Here, every plant tells a story, every bean carries meaning, and every harvest reflects patience, knowledge, and deep respect for the land.
Next to their house, they have built a small micro-mill, complete with traditional African drying beds where the coffee slowly dries under the sun. The tour is led by a professional guide, but it is Doña María who truly captures the hearts of visitors. She is the soul of the experience—warm, generous, and always ready to share stories as the aroma of freshly roasted coffee fills the air.
Throughout the visit, guests learn the entire coffee process: from the seed and the care of the plants over the years, to fascinating details known only to those who live from coffee. They witness the harvest, the careful hand-picking of the beans, and the full processing journey—washing, drying, roasting, grinding, and finally packaging the coffee, ready to be shared beyond the mountains.
The experience goes beyond coffee. Around the farm, visitors encounter medicinal plants, chickens and other domestic animals, as well as a worm composting system used to produce organic fertilizer, completing a natural and sustainable cycle. Everything happens organically, without scripted speeches—simply as part of everyday life lived in harmony with nature.
The landscape is a constant companion. From the farm, views open onto green pastures, the Central Valley, the volcanic mountain range, and rolling coffee plantations that define the character of this region. It is a setting that invites visitors to slow down, breathe deeply, and simply observe.
The tour ends as beautifully as it begins. Doña María prepares coffee using the traditional Costa Rican chorreador method. No rush, no embellishments—just hot water, freshly ground coffee, and an unhurried conversation.
This coffee tour is a truly authentic, off the beaten path experience, rich in cultural value and rooted in social responsibility and sustainability. More than an activity, it is an encounter—with people, with the land, and with a living tradition in the mountains of Llano Bonito.
At Chayote Lodge, we believe that true luxury lies in simple, genuine experiences, the kind that stay with you because they are felt. And this coffee, shared at the home of Don Carlos and Doña María, tastes exactly like that.
