Cultural Sidebar #7 - Cafecitos

Coffee, aka un cafecito, is serious business in Costa Rica. Coffee is one of the country’s biggest exports and Ticos believe they have the best in the world. Several regions within Costa Rica boast that their coffee is the best, and this is a topic that is fiercely debated nationwide.

Cafecito is also an important part of the social fabric of Costa Rica. A cafecito is often an invitation extended to friends or family as a means to catch up, or as a way to meet someone new. For example, I’ve been offered a few cafecitos since moving to my community so that I can learn more about my town. This isn’t a completely foreign concept for me - while living in DC, a “coffee chat” was frequently proposed as a networking tool. Sometimes coffee was consumed, but oftentimes it was coffee in name only. However, in Costa Rica, yes a cafecito is social, but it is guaranteed that there will be coffee present, commonly served with bread or something sweet like a cookie or cake. When served cafecito, almost always azúcar (sugar) and leche (milk) are offered as accompaniments. In the States I would’ve jumped on top of these - I’d typically order some sugary coffee-adjacent beverage from Starbucks or Dunkin. However, the coffee is so good here, that I’ve started asking for my cafecito to be served negro (black), without milk or sugar. I’m certainly hoping to be invited to more cafecitos going forward, not only to bolster my caffeine intake, but to continue to learn more about my community.




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