Central America - Local products in San Jose (including duty free)

Heading to SJO in two weeks. I've seen plenty of Costa Rican products in MGA (teas, jellies and the like). Any recommended locally-produced food products to bring home (certainly coffee), or liquors?

Any local items at the airport's duty-free?

Will you be only in SJO? I'm quite fond of the pastries and empanadas we get when we visit Jaco, the caramel filled ones are to die for. Plantains are great as well and the local pineapple has a taste that is so much better than what we get here in the U.S.- I"m sure the stuff we're accustomed to is picked weeks before it's actually ripe.

Salza lizano (local sauce, we eat it with everything)

Ron Centenario (its the only rum I drink, although some people find it very sweet)

There is some Costa Rican wine, but I've never tasted it.

Otherwise, the Costa Rican things that I get asked for are:

1. Tabasco sauce.

2. Salsa Lizano

3. Liquor of some sort. There are two or three different Ron Centenarios. Maybe even Guaro for the hardcore alkies. :)

1. Tabasco sauce.


Really? The kind that is from Louisiana and you can buy in every supermarket in North America?

I always find that the Britt products are a big hit. Especially the pouches of bite-size chocolates in any of the flavours (guayaba, pineapple, macadamia, etc.

Britt chocolate-covered coffee beans.

Don't know where you're from, guessing it's not Managua despite the MGA in your post - but if it's southeastern Massachusetts, please bring some for me too.

Really? The kind that is from Louisiana and you can buy in every supermarket in North America?

Oh yes. Tabasco #1! The type from Costa Rica seems to go down better for many people. I don't much like Tabasco, but have 3 or 4 people that I bring it back for when I go down to SJO.

Heading to SJO in two weeks. I've seen plenty of Costa Rican products in MGA (teas, jellies and the like). Any recommended locally-produced food products to bring home (certainly coffee), or liquors?

Any local items at the airport's duty-free?

Definitely salsa Lizano, but also try Guayabitas (guava treats).