As for coffee loving, when we are about to enjoy a delicious cup of morning coffee, there is little concern about the consequences of caffeine consumption. One cup of coffee (5 oz) may have up to 180-mg caffeine when using the drip method or a percolator to brew it. Instant coffee has less caffeine per cup, up to 120 mg.
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Costa Rica Coffee Market
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The soil and climate of the central and southern highlands of Costa Rica are perfectly suited for coffee cultivation. Back in the nineteenth century, when first coffee shrubs began to spread up the hillsides of Central Valley, it all seemed too perfect: rich volcanic soils, high natural fertilization, optimal altitude, excellent distribution of rainfall, mild temperatures all year round, plus grants and benefits for coffee producers.
By 1829, coffee was already Costa Rica's chief export. Sixteen years later a new direct route was established by an English merchant and shipments followed a five-month voyage from the Pacific port of Puntarenas to Chile, then around the southern tip of South America, and up the Atlantic to England.
Research and field experiments, special care during harvesting procedures, high quality processing standards and adequate marketing policies have helped build a strong coffee industry. Today, Costa Rica is ranked as the country where more coffee per hectare is produced due to highly efficient crops, and its golden beans have been ranked among the best in the world.
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Costa Rica Coffee Republic
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Costa Rica was not a promising land back in the nineteenth century when coffee -the golden bean- prompted as a means to transform the economy of the nation. Back in the 16th century, sickness, starvation and cruel tropical conditions defeated colonizing expeditions to Costa Rica. Indians were fierce fighters and, really, gold was not as abundant as Spaniards first expected when they baptized Costa Rica under the name of 'rich coast'.
Such difficulties turned Spanish attention away from southern Central America, and on to Peru and Mexico, where new conquests and gold discoveries were far more promising than Costa Rica's isolated settlements.
Since Indian labor and money were so scarce during the 16th century, crop cultivation was developed for basic subsistence only, and settlers were forced to work the land themselves. When Juan Vásquez de Coronado arrived as governor in 1562, he put his efforts into founding a major town. He drew settlers together from different regions, and in 1563 Cartago was established as the national Capital of Costa Rica.
Costa Rica waited for over 150 years for new towns to be formed: Villa Vieja in 1717 (now Heredia); Villa Nueva in 1737 (San José); Villa Hermosa in 1782 (Alajuela). Gradually, as the population grew, the region began to develop crops, such as sugar cane and tobacco, which became the basis to a sounder economy that would later embrace coffee production.
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