LA CATARATA HONEY, COSTA RICA - FILTER COFFEE

We're delighted to bring this Costa Rican coffee back into our lineup again this year. This coffee from the Ureña family's Café Rivense farm bursts with sweet juiciness! In the flavor you'll find the juiciness of nectarine and ripe cherry along with the sweetness of dark sugar, with a mild acidity that's well balanced with the mouthfeel.

This coffee comes from Café Rivense del Chirripó, a family-owned smallholder farm founded in 2005 by Régulo Ureña and Isabel Rojas in southern Costa Rica. The farm's quality work has been recognized in competitions such as the Cup of Excellence — their best result being 5th place in 2019 with their Vista al Chirripó Caturra Honey lot.

The farm's cultivation is based on sustainable agriculture aimed at reducing environmental impact: shade trees provide natural soil improvement and keep the coffee trees cool, fertilization is based on annual soil samples, and weed control is done judiciously, only when needed. All water sources are protected, and the farm also grows fruit trees that support local wildlife.

The coffee cherries are hand-picked at full ripeness and dried using the natural (dry) process without water, so that the fruit flesh stays as clean and sweet as possible. The coffee is dried on raised beds, with final drying done in mechanical dryers. All processing, sorting, and packaging take place on-site at the farm, ensuring full traceability and high quality.

Lauri and Aleksi visited the Café Rivense farm in December 2025 and spent a couple of days with the Ureña family touring the farm. It's a wonderful farm, and everything is done with meticulous care. That shows — and tastes — in their coffees.

The Chirripó micro-region has quickly risen onto Costa Rica's specialty coffee map. The area lies between two mountain ranges — Cerro de la Muerte and the country's highest peak, Cerro Chirripó (1,820 m). High growing altitudes (1,300–2,000 m), nutrient-rich volcanic soil, and cool mountain air create a unique microclimate that promotes healthy coffee tree growth and a complex, nuanced flavor profile. In recent years, the region's potential for specialty coffee production has become increasingly clear, further accelerating the area's and its coffees' development!