Costa Rica La Guaca

Nestled in Costa Rica's Chirripó highlands at 1,600 meters, this coffee grows in one of the country's most celebrated regions. Chirripó's dramatic elevation, volcanic soils, and cool mountain temperatures push coffee plants to develop slowly and deliberately — concentrating sugars, building complexity, and producing beans of remarkable clarity.

 La Guaca — "hidden treasure" in local parlance — comes from Finca La Guaca, the single-estate farm of Cafe Rivense, run by Ricardo Urena Rojas, son to the family who built this storied operation. Ricardo's family has cultivated Catuai Arabica on these slopes for generations, and the 2022/23 harvest that produced La Guaca was hand-selected by Ricardo himself — a lot offered to very few, and a reflection of the deep trust this family places in the partners they choose.

This coffee is naturally processed — dried whole in the fruit under the Chirripó sun, allowing the cherry's sugars and pulp to slowly transform the bean over weeks. This extended contact between fruit and seed produces a cup that is lush, layered, and unmistakably fruit-forward, with notes of apricot and lavender giving way to a rich dark chocolate finish.