Everyone’s in love with chocolate in any form and flavors. Chocolates are our happiness since we were young; they are even the cry-stoppers for every kid. It is every adult’s indulgence when faced with mild stresses or solely a piece to enjoy with someone else.
History of Chocolate in Costa Rica
Cacao beans, from which chocolates are made, is one of the prime farms of Costa Rica, along with bananas and coffee. It was a precious item for the Chorotega tribe before the 1930s. People use cacao beans to trade for other valuable commodities or in any part of commerce.
The Bribri tribe, on the other hand, uses the cacao beans to create a unique drink as a present to special occasions and customary practices. Although these practices were ancient and lost its significance over the years, the cacao trees are still all over Costa Rica, and chocolates are still in abundance in every shop.
If you visit Costa Rica, we recommended you to visit one or two of the cacao bean plantations in Puntarenas, Talamanca, Guanacaste, Cartago, and Alajuela.
Booking for a Chocolate Tour
If chocolates don’t interest you, you may want to dive into the fun and learning of Costa Rica’s culture and history. There are several tours to choose from. You can either book for a full day regular tour or book a private tour beforehand.
If you are a great fan of chocolates, you can also book for a multi-day experience (up to seven days!) in any of the cacao farms. You get to immerse yourself on the step-by-step process of picking the cacao beans down to the processing of the beans into a chocolate bar to chocolate or coffee drinks. And yes, you can take home those bars you made yourself as gifts to your friends and family.
What to Do on a Chocolate Tour
If you are looking for a less-traditional escape to Costa Rica, a chocolate tour is surely lingering in your lists. Off of the beaches and green lushes of Costa Rica, a chocolate tour is a unique experience to travel back in time and let your souls connect to the root cultures of cacao beans and chocolates.
The tours also cover the machines at work and how the process of making different flavors of chocolates are made. The complete process will be presented to you from picking the cacao beans to the entire production process. You may be surprised to witness fresh spices and herbs mixed with the production of chocolate bars or powders.
All chocolate tours don’t end there yet because every food tour is not complete without a tasting test. Taste-testing and subsequent activities depend on the chocolate tour that you will take. Some lets you taste top chocolate selections, some tours let you create your own personal chocolate, others would tour you on the farm and lets you harvest cacao beans.
Some chocolate tours may even let you process your cacao beans into chocolate or coffee drinks! And there’s more! Most of the chocolate tours give you a glimpse of one of the exceptional local sceneries while hiking through the cacao forests. So, choose and check the inclusions of your chocolate tours before booking.
Top Chocolate Tours in Costa Rica
There are several Chocolate Tours around Costa Rica, but we want to trim down your selections; hence, we provide you our top five chocolate tours to try out.
1. La Iguana Chocolate Tour
Sits in the mountains of Puriscal, a small family operates La Iguana. The family’s farm does not only cultivates several varieties of cacao beans for years but also the flavorings and spices that go along with your bar chocolates like chilies and ginger. La Iguana has been servicing Costa Rica with high-quality organic chocolates for seven years, though they’ve been growing their cacao trees and producing natural cocoa for thirty years.
Tour Inclusions:
a. History of cacao and chocolate
b. Cacao farm tour
c. Cacao bean picking
d. Hands-on cacao drying
e. Hands-on cacao roasting
f. Chocolate processing
g. Chocolate tasting
h. Free samples take home
Timing:
The tour is open from Monday to Saturday at 10:00 AM.
What to Bring:
Insect repellents, swimsuits, towel, and hiking shoes
Fees:
Children under five years old are free; however, adults and children under 10 years old will be charged at USD34.00 and USD23.00, respectively.
Booking:
At least 2 days’ notice
2. Bribri Chocolate Tour
The Bribri Tour situates in the Talamanca mountains at the Watsi Bribri Community. The Bribri indigenous people have been using the cacao beans in the early nineteen hundred to various rituals and occasions.
Tour Inclusions:
a. Rain forest hike passing by a waterfall
b. Medicinal plants garden tour
c. Culture and ancient history orientation
d. Process your chocolates utilizing original tools
e. Taste freshly made chocolates
Timing:
The tour is open from Monday to Saturday at 8:30 AM.
What to Bring:
Insect repellents, swimsuits, towel, and hiking shoes
Fees:
Book your tour at USD75.00 per adult and USD38.00 for children ages 4 to 11.
Booking:
At least 2 days’ notice
3. Caribeans Coffee and Chocolate Tour
The Caribeans Tour requires physical activities for those who are up to an adventure. You can access the chocolate tour program in Puerto Viejo in the province of Limon. Following most of the chocolate tours, Caribeans Tour also includes history and culture orientation and the following activities.
Tour Inclusions:
a. Cacao farm hike of about 2.5 to 3 hours
b. Culture and ancient history orientation
c. Immerse yourself with the locals from picking the cacao beans, fermenting, drying, roasting and crushing
d. Taste freshly made chocolate
e. Taste freshly made chocolates with a view overlooking the coastal ocean
f. Try your own chocolate recipes
Timing:
The tour is open from Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday between 8:30 AM to 10:00 AM.
What to Bring:
Insect repellants, swimsuits, towel, and hiking shoes or flip flops
Fees:
Book your tour at USD28.00 or USD32.00 per adult for private tours
Booking:
No reservations required; one day notice for private tours, minimum of 4 people
4. Finca Luna Nueva Chocolate Tour
Finca Luna is home to over 300 cacao trees, and most of them aged aromatically for more than 30 years. The tour covers both the traditional and modern techniques of producing chocolates from cacao beans. It is considered the “Thousand-year chocolate journey” and here’s why.
Tour Inclusions:
a. Cacao plantation tour
b. Culture and ancient history orientation
c. Briefing on how Finca Luna Nueva uses regenerative procedures to grow quality trees
d. First-hand experience on roasting and grinding cacao beans using prehistoric grinding stones
e. Taste freshly made chocolate and coffee drinks adding a few natural spices and flavors
f. Try your own chocolate recipes
Timing:
The tour is open from Monday to Saturday starting at 8:00 AM
What to Bring:
Insect repellants, cameras
Fees:
Book your tour at USD39.00 per person with a 20% discount for residents and students
Booking:
Walk-in, but 1-day advance is recommended
5. Sibu Chocolate Tour
Sibu Chocolate Tour operation lays in the land of San Isidro de Heredia. Taste the chocolate drinks and bar that boasts a recipe from the 1500s. Sip your cacao coffee drinks while you rest and enjoy the flourishing garden of the chocolate workshop.
Tour Inclusions:
a. Cacao plantation tour in a rainforest
b. Engaging and interactive culture and ancient history orientation
c. Chocolate taste test with bonbons on a plate
d. Taste freshly handmade chocolate and coffee drinks adding few natural spices and flavors
Timing:
The tour is open from Tuesday to Saturday starting at 10:00 AM; though the tour can give you a special time slot if you have a minimum of 8 guests.
What to Bring:
Insect repellants, cameras, walking shoes, sweater
Fees:
Book your tour at USD28.00 per person for a half-day tour
Booking:
Requires 1-day notice, minimum of 4 guests
Conclusion:
Although Costa Rica is known for its lush green forests, endangered wildlife, and pristine beaches, the ancient history and organic taste of chocolates still have a great spot on every traveler’s list. Every chocolatier’s goal is to provide you with organic chocolates and drinks from where it was picked to where it is packed. And Costa Rica boasts an award for that.