Costa Rica » Guanacaste and Northwest » Liberia

Costa Rica: Coffee, Chocolate & Cooking Tour with Tastings

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.97 (146 reviews) 99% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/20

Duration3h 30m

GroupUp to 6

LanguagesEN · ES

Mobile ticketAccepted

Hands-on coffee chocolate & cooking day in Costa Rica

You’ll join a Costa Rican family for a day learning how coffee is grown and roasted, making chocolate by hand, cooking empanadas together, and tasting fresh sugarcane juice. Expect laughter with locals, earthy smells from roasting beans, and real hands-on moments—plus plenty of snacks along the way.

3h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Coffee, chocolate, cooking, and sugarcane

Learn coffee history
Walk to coffee field
Taste coffee samples
Watch coffee roasting
Learn chocolate history
Walk to chocolate field
Taste chocolate samples
Watch chocolate roasting
Make and taste empanadas
Learn sugarcane history
Grind sugarcane
Taste sugarcane samples

The Experience

I didn’t expect to laugh so much with strangers over coffee beans. We met Tío Leo just outside Liberia — he waved us in with this huge grin, and I swear you could smell roasted coffee before we even stepped inside. The place felt more like someone’s backyard than a “tour,” which threw me off at first (in a good way). Our local guide started with stories about how his family got into coffee — something about his grandfather’s stubbornness and rainy seasons that made everyone nod along. I kept glancing at the old wooden grinder by the door; it looked like it had seen a hundred years of mornings.

We walked through the coffee plants while the sun ducked behind clouds, and I tried to remember all the steps from green berry to cup. Spoiler: I failed. But I did get to roast my own little batch, which is way harder than it looks — mine came out uneven and our guide teased me for it (“artisan style,” he said). The best part? Sipping that fresh coffee right there, still warm from roasting. There was this earthy smell everywhere, mixed with something sweet from the chocolate side of things. We crushed cocoa beans by hand — messy, but oddly satisfying — and tasted chocolate that was nothing like what you buy at home.

The cooking class part surprised me most. Empanada dough sticks to your fingers if you’re too impatient (guilty), but somehow they turned out edible. Everyone shared bites and swapped stories — one woman tried to say “empanada” in Spanish and we all cracked up, including Tío Leo’s niece who was helping out. Afterward came sugarcane: they showed us how to grind it old-school style, then handed out glasses of juice so sweet it almost hurt my teeth. There was music playing somewhere in the background; honestly, I still think about that view across the fields while sipping sugarcane water.

What’s included

Your day includes guided walks through coffee and cacao fields near Liberia with a licensed local guide.
hands-on roasting of both coffee and chocolate.
an empanada cooking class with tastings.
plus samples of fresh juice and sugarcane water—all shared in a family-style setting before heading back relaxed (and probably full).

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Café Tío Leo