Costa Rican Coffee

by Bob Johnnson
(Spring Hill, FL USA)

Question:

Were Costa Rica coffee plants ever shipped to Colombia to start their coffee plantations?
Bob
johnnson1@bellsouth.net

Answer:
Don't know if Costa Rican plants were ever shipped to Colombia for growing. It is my understanding that all of the Arabica plants in the Americas came from a single plant that was taken by De Clieu to Martinique from the gardens of then King Louis XIV.

Another version states: "It is not known for sure when coffee first reached Colombia. Many historians believe it to be around the same time Jesuit priests first began arriving from Europe in the mid 16th century. The first exports of coffee from Colombia began in 1835 when around 2500 bags were exported to the U.S."

For a full history of Colombian coffee you can check out my page on Colombian Coffee History.