We traveled to Monteverde in the Central Highlands Region of Costa Rica. A long winding dirt road with excellent views leads to this mountaintop paradise. Monteverde is located between two cloud forests.

When we arrived in Monteverde, we visited the Don Juan coffee plantation. While sitting on the terrace of the meetinghouse, we enjoyed the delicious aroma of one of the best coffees in the world. The history of the Don Juan coffee plantation is closely related to the history of Monteverde. It stands for hard work and respect for nature.

We continued our journey and discovered a special ‘Coffee-Lab’ on the the way. A passionate coffee-lover welcomed us, ready to share his knowledge. While talking about the different coffee producing regions all around the world, he demonstrated us, how one can prepare excellent coffee with a basic glass jar. He took us to a small room, where he was roasting the coffee beans. There were many nicely decorated bags, ready to be filled with freshly roased golden beans.

Today we tasted one of the best filter coffees we ever had. This ‘Coffee-Lab’ was filled with coffee aroma, knowledge and all kinds of different items related to coffee production and preparation.

The smile of the coffee-lover, who was with us, put some magic into the freshly prepared

coffee. Every time, when there is delicious coffee around, there is a reason to smile! Living is about capturing the aroma of nature with a smile :-)!