Hola!

Just a little more to add about day 3. Doka coffee estate was by far my favorite trip. There were so many interesting facts about coffee that I definitely did not know. For example, my favorite coffee, Starbucks, purchases some of the coffee produced at Doka. We also learned a lot about production and distribution, like how Doka does not use any irrigation systems because this location in Costa Rica has excellent growing conditions because of the rainy season, and the banana trees planted actually store water during the rainy season and release it when the weather becomes (more) dry, so they act as natural irrigation. Doka also uses one of the oldest wet mills in Costa Rica to take the coffee from the red berries (or cherries) it starts at to the green beans that are dried and roasted. They dry the first class beans out on several different levels of pavement and then rake them out to dry naturally. Basically it looked like a zen garden made out of coffee beans. We got to walk through all of these processes with our very enthusiastic guide, and sample lots of chocolate covered coffee beans. Possibly the best part of the trip though was the view. Driving up to Doka we saw some of the most incredible mountain scenery. The view from the coffee plantation itself was also amazing. Looking out over the acres and acres of coffee plants was very cool. So were the many exotic flowers all around Doka. The butterfly garden was also incredible. And a little scary when a giant blue butterfly the size of a small bird flew at me. I can't wait to see more of the country.

-Carissa