Coffee Tour

[NoDayButToday]

We will be in San Juan from 8a-4p on our cruise. I work in management for a major coffee chain, but have never been to a coffee farm/plantation and I know that Puerto Rico has some fantastic local coffees.

 

Has anyone done a coffee tour? Is this something that is doable time-wise for this length of port stay? Do you have any recommendations for a certain farm over another?

[alfaeric]

We will be in San Juan from 8a-4p on our cruise. I work in management for a major coffee chain, but have never been to a coffee farm/plantation and I know that Puerto Rico has some fantastic local coffees.

 

Has anyone done a coffee tour? Is this something that is doable time-wise for this length of port stay? Do you have any recommendations for a certain farm over another?

 

Given your time there, no it's not possible. The issue is where the plantations are- which are all on the opposite of the island from San Juan. Traveling from San Juan to just Ponce is 1.5 hours, the plantations are generally 1-2 hrs more, given where they all are.

 

If you want to visit coffee plantation in Puerto Rico, you should plan a few day stay there and spend time in the SW part of the island. They are both figuratively and literally cool. Our last visit to a small plantation was in the middle of summer, and in downtown Ponce, our car said it was 95F. When we got up into the mountains- just a little east of Adjutas, it as 70F. So very nice.

 

Most people don't visit that side of the island, and I would encourage you to do it- it's very different than NE Puerto Rico.

[spelican]

We will be in San Juan from 8a-4p on our cruise. I work in management for a major coffee chain, but have never been to a coffee farm/plantation and I know that Puerto Rico has some fantastic local coffees.

 

Has anyone done a coffee tour? Is this something that is doable time-wise for this length of port stay? Do you have any recommendations for a certain farm over another?

 

Cuatro Sombras in Old San Juan (www.cuatrosombras.com) offers several tastings of locally grown coffees. They do a tasting tour ($12), coffee cupping workshop ($89), and a home brewing class ($75). The Don Ruiz Coffee Shop in Old San Juan (www.donruizstore.com) has a coffee roastery and museum.