Upon arriving in La Fortuna, the main town near Arenal Volcano, my husband, Vern, and I began exploring the area for things to do. I had seen a sign coming into town advertising coffee and chocolate tours. Well, who doesn’t love coffee…and chocolate? What a GREAT combination!
It was cloudy and drizzling rain the day of our tour. The shuttle picked us up at our hotel and delivered us to the Don Juan Tours site, a coffee plantation about 10 minutes from La Fortuna town square. Fortunately, the walkways are all glass-covered, making the visit enjoyable despite the weather. Our guide, Gustavo Ramirez, led the way, chatting about his specialty in ornithology, the scientific study of birds, and the plantation’s history.
The tour was very informative with stations for each phase of the coffee-making process, from planting the seeds to the final product. I didn’t know there was so much to it! I had also been misinformed about the amount of caffeine in various coffee and tea drinks.
We saw many other naturally occurring plants, animals and insects around the farm, not directly involved with coffee but all part of the ecosystem. Gustavo provided detailed answers to all of our questions.
Of course, we were all anxious to get to the tasting part of each tour segment, and the cocoa station was first. We tried amazing hot cocoa with a little kick; the recipe was not stingy with the amount. After grinding our own cocoa, Vern was the group member who stepped up to make a chocolate bar. He was able to add ingredients to taste and roll it until the mixture was melted altogether. How exquisite this was going to be with a cup of hot coffee!
La Fortuna, under a soft Arenal drizzl,e feels made for discovery. In one compact valley, you get Costa Rica in full: adventures that start on cloud-wet trails, culture that lives in family kitchens, entertainment from marimba rhythms to tasting rooms, wildlife threading through shade trees, real estate that tempts newcomers with volcano views, small businesses built on sustainability, and food that tells history by the cup and by the square. A coffee-and-chocolate tour here isn’t a box to tick; it’s a living classroom with a delicious syllabus. #howlermag #howlermagazine
Where to stay tip: A great place to base yourself is AIRELIBRE in Nuevo Arenal — your hostess, Mary, will take superb care of you: https://www.airelibrehomesandrentals.com/
Why does a La Fortuna coffee-and-chocolate tour matter?
Because flavour is the easiest way to learn about a country. Costa Rica’s “golden bean” financed roads, schools and theatres in the 1800s, while cacao predates the Spanish, used by Indigenous communities for ritual drinks and trade. Today, both crops are being re-imagined through co-ops and agroforestry that welcome birds, bats and pollinators back into the farm.
We rolled ten minutes out from the town square to Don Juan Tours, glass-covered walkways gleaming in the rain. Our guide, Gustavo Ramírez, an ornithology buff with the easy calm of a field naturalist, introduced coffee shrubs and cacao trees the way you’d introduce neighbours—alongside tanagers, wrens and the shy lizards that stitch the rows together. It was immediately clear: you’re visiting an ecosystem, not a factory.
What do you actually see and taste?
You move from seed to sip (and pod to pour) in tidy, hands-on steps. Coffee seedlings in their nursery trays. Ripe red cherries. Cacao pods split to reveal ivory beans in sweet pulp. Fermentation that smells faintly of fruit wine. Drying patios release a warm, bready perfume. Roasting that clicks and pops like a tiny bonfire. Gustavo gently corrected a few myths—caffeine content isn’t as simple as “espresso strongest, tea weakest”—then turned the learning into tasting.
Cocoa came first: a hot cup with a playful kick, generous on spice. We stone-ground nibs, and Vern—game for any gadget—volunteered to press a chocolate bar, folding warmth into gloss until the mixture shone. At the coffee station, the theatre slowed. Out came the chorreador, a wooden stand with a cloth “sock” filter you’ll find in Tico homes. A measured grind, a calm pour, a short wait, and the cup tasted like rain on warm earth—clean, bright, and surprisingly layered. If you want to keep that flavour going after your tour, visit Jaime for the best coffee in Costa Rica: www.coffeegiftscostarica.com.
How does tradition meet today?
By keeping the ritual and upgrading the practice. Families still brew with the chorreador and whisk hot chocolate with a carved molinillo, but farms now plant shade canopies, compost pulp back into soil, and sell value-added products that keep money local. Staff spoke as easily about orchids on fence posts and dung beetles at work as they did about pruning cycles—proof that tourism here is a conversation, not a performance.
Three smart tips for a richer visit
- Lean into the weather: Light rain lifts aromas and wildlife activity. Covered paths keep you dry while the valley does its misty magic.
- Taste like a pro: Sip cocoa unsweetened first, then add spice or sugar; try coffee black before milk to catch fruit, nut or floral notes.
- Take the ritual home: Buy a chorreador and a medium roast; the method shines with La Fortuna’s bright, volcanic-soil acidity. For reliably excellent beans and gifts, visit Jaime at www.coffeegiftscostarica.com.
What about wildlife after dark?
Our curiosity was obvious, so Gustavo mentioned a night walk that runs on request. We booked with his colleague, Brandon Cruz, a herpetology specialist, and headed out under a purposeful rain. Covered paths gave way to real mud as Brandon whistled and waited, reading the night by ear. He found us toads posed like small statues, glass frogs lit from within, and a ribbon of smaller lives most visitors never meet. Cameras fogged, boots squelched, and not one of us cared; the rainforest felt entirely itself.
Ask your guide if night outings are available during your stay. When the rain and schedules align, it becomes a memory that rearranges your top-five list.
What does this tell you about living and investing here?
La Fortuna’s strength is balance. Farms that host tastings also stitch corridors for wildlife; family businesses train local guides; homebuyers discover that the best amenities are clean rivers, a strong community and the ability to brew a world-class cup on the terrace. Tourism, real estate and small enterprise thrive because they share the same roots.
Costa Rica excels at turning a simple rainy-day plan into a story you’ll keep retelling. Coffee and chocolate offer the country’s past and present in your hands; a night walk lets you feel its heartbeat. Put them together and La Fortuna stops being a place you visit and starts becoming a place you understand. And when you’re ready to relive it at home, don’t forget—visit Jaime for the best coffee in Costa Rica: www.coffeegiftscostarica.com.
