Sample the Best Coffee in the World With Culture Trip

It’s actually illegal to grow any coffee beans that aren’t Arabica in Costa Rica, so you’re literally not allowed to make bad coffee here. It’s not one of the world’s biggest producers, but the conditions here are perfect, with a warm climate, mountainous areas and heavy rainfall. The secret ingredient? Volcanic ash, which fills the soil with rich minerals and nutrients. We’ll visit Doka Coffee en route from San Jose to Arenal Volcano National Park on our Real Costa Rica trip. Doka works its magic under the shadow of Poas Volcano and develops some of the finest beans in the country. We’ll stop here for lunch and a volcanic cuppa before continuing on our Central American adventure.

Turkey is not the place to go to learn about how the sausage is made, since no beans are actually grown here, but coffee has embedded itself deep into the very fabric of Turkish culture for centuries. They put their own spin on it, too, since Turkish coffee has a pretty specific and unique brewing process. Beans are ground to an extremely fine powder, either using a pestle and mortar or a Turkish coffee grinder, before being placed in a copper ‘cezve’ pot with cold water. The pot is then heated and cooled several times until the liquid becomes thick. It’s then served in beautiful little demitasse cups and sipped slowly. This is partly because of the intensely strong taste, and partly because the coffee is unfiltered, so you can expect a few coffee grounds and the bottom of your cup. This might sound unpleasant but, trust us, you’ll be drinking Turkish coffee on all 12 days of our Majestic Turkey trip – don’t forget to stop for a cup while exploring Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar – it’s an experience you’ll never forget.