COSTA RICA FINCA EL DESAFIO

Tasting Notes: Plum, Rose, Mandarin Orange, Banana

A 2024 Golden Bean Silver Medalist & 2023 Good Food Award Winner—Finca El Desafio, grown by the Ureñas family, is an outstanding coffee with tropical notes of plum, mandarin orange, and banana plus a sweet floral bouquet. Winner of a 2024 Silver Golden Bean medal and both a 2023 Good Food Award as well as a 2023 Golden Bean Medal, this gem of a coffee keeps collecting accolades. 

Known for its intense fruit flavors, this microlot is exclusively made from the unique Villa Sarchí coffee plant varietal. In addition, the full honey processing method, one Cafe Rivenśe is known to have perfected, intensifies the natural sweetness found in the coffee cherries.  

 

Cafe Rivenśe, run by the Ureñas family for three generations, is built around family, innovation, and quality—values our family shares as well. We appreciate all the extra efforts they put into ensuring their coffees are exceptional and that the land is kept pristine. 

Coffee Information

Country: Costa Rica Region: Chirripó Producer: Ureña Rojas Family Altitude: 1,550 meters Varietals: Villa Sarchí Processing: Full Honey Net Weight: 340g / 12oz

Watch our interview with Ricardo Ureña

Awards and Recognitions

• 2019 Golden Bean Category: Single Origin Espresso – Bronze (Las Torres Honey)

• 2020 Good Food Awards Finalist (Las Torres Natural)

• 2023 Good Food Awards Winner (El Desafío Honey)

• 2023 Golden Bean Category: Filter coffee – Bronze (El Desafío Honey)

• 2024 Golden Bean Category: Espresso - Silver (El Desafío Honey)

Produced by the Ureña Rojas family in the Chirripó region of Costa Rica, this Villa Sarchí lot from Joe Bean Coffee Roasters showcases the meticulous craftsmanship of high-altitude cultivation. The coffee is processed using the full honey method, a technique that leaves a portion of the fruit’s mucilage on the bean during drying to influence the final cup profile. As detailed in our processing methods explainer, this approach often bridges the gap between washed and natural profiles, frequently resulting in enhanced sweetness and a complex body.

When evaluating the specific characteristics of this coffee, such as its notes of plum, rose, mandarin orange, and banana, it is helpful to reference the flavor wheel to better understand how these distinct fruit and floral descriptors interact. By maintaining the integrity of the Villa Sarchí varietal, the Ureña Rojas family provides a clear expression of the unique terroir found within the Chirripó landscape.