We have received many questions from our customers over the years, hopefully you can find you question answered below. If you don't find the answer you seek, please feel free to ask a new question.

What's up with the cow's head on your labels ?

It's not a cow's head, it's an Ox's head !

For over a century, coffee has been harvasted and hauled down the mountains of Costa Rica in carretas, a large colorfully painted wagon pulled by a pair of oxen. Although no longer used, there is an annual festival in San Jose to honor the carreta.

For many years Cafe Cartago's old logo was based on the carreta. A couple years ago we decided a makeover was necessary and that indeed, we had gotten the the Ox before the Cart !.

Hence our Estate coffee brand logo is a magnificent and somewhat noble coffee-hauling ox from Costa Rica!

How much coffee should I use ?

Recommended Portion Sizes for Brewers

The following recommended portion sizes are based on Cafe Cartago’s most popular roasts and blends. Competing products may suggest slightly higher or lower amounts depending on their extraction rate.

A standard coffee scoop measures 1-1/2 tablespoons and weighs out about 0.3 ounces of coffee (level, not compacted). We recommend 1 scoop per every 10 fl. oz. of water, depending on your preference. The list below suggest the number of scoops required for each size brew.

Drip Brewers:

Size	Size (fl oz)	Recommended Coffee Portion	No. Scoops
4 cup	20	0.85 oz.	3
8-10 cup	50	1.50 oz.	5
12 cup	60	1.85 oz.	6

Airpot Brewers:

Size	Size (fl oz)	Recommended Coffee Portion	No. Scoops
1.9 liter	65	2.0oz	7
2.2 liter	74	2.5oz	8
3.0 liter	101	3.0oz	10

Commercial Brewers:

Size	Size (fl oz)	Recommended Coffee Portion	No. Scoops
1.0 gal	128	4oz	13
1.5 gal	192	6oz	20
3.0 gal	384	12oz	40

French Presses:

Size	Size (fl oz)	Recommended Coffee Portion	No. Scoops
Travel	12	0.60oz	2

What's the best way to store my coffee ?

There are many opinions about whether it is better to store coffee in a refrigerator, freezer or at room air temperature. One thing everyone agrees about is that air (oxygen) is the enemy when it comes to keeping coffee fresh. So too is heat and light to a lessor degree.

Just as a bag of chips or crackers will quickly go stale when left open so too does coffee lose its richest flavor when exposed to fresh air. Thus to keep your beans fresh you must minimize contact with fresh air, and you can slow the degradation process by keeping the product cool and away from direct sunlight.

Here are a few suggestions for keeping your coffee fresh and flavorful.

Purchase whole bean coffee whenever possible. Grinding coffee increases the surface area of the coffee particles thereby increasing its contact with air. Whole beans will retain their flavor much longer than ground coffee. Small inexpensive coffee grinders can be purchased at any home appliance store, plus the aroma of fresh ground coffee is an added bonus!
Take out as much coffee as you are going to use in a few days, a week at most. Then tightly re-seal the main coffee supply bag, squeezing as much air out as possible. All of our stand up bags come with a handy lock seal to make re-sealing easier.
We also suggest storing the main coffee supply bag in a cool dark place, such as a refrigerator or freezer, or a cool closet if you have one. Never leave coffee in the trunk of a hot car or you will be sad!
One of the results of the chemical reactions that are induced by the roasting process is the secretion of oil from the coffee beans. This oil is water soluble and not harmful in any way, indeed it contains much of the flavor that you seek! However oily coffee is messy and sticky, if you are grinding oily beans your grinder will require more frequent cleaning. By chilling or cooling the coffee you slow down the oil secretion process.
Freezing coffee: this is a subject of debate. We have not experienced any ill effect from freezing coffee if it is tightly wrapped in an air-tight a container. Modern frost-free freezers constantly run in a freeze-thaw cycle to evaporate condensation, but since roasted coffee contains little water there should not be much effect. You may notice that freezing causes the oil on the surface of the beans to clump but this is harmless, just break the clumps apart before grinding.