Costa Rica - El Jardin, Black Honey
Costa Rica - El Jardin, Black Honey
Costa Rica - El Jardin, Black Honey
Costa Rica - El Jardin, Black Honey
Costa Rica - El Jardin, Black Honey
Costa Rica - El Jardin, Black Honey

Costa Rica - El Jardin, Black Honey

55.00 Sale Save

apple, red grapes, plums, bakers chocolate

Roast Profile
Choose your Grind Size

Producer: Cafe Rivense del Chirripó / Ureña Rojas Family
Location: Chirripó
Variety: Catuai
Process: Black Honey
Altitude: 1,500 – 1,700 masl
Crop Year: 2023

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The pioneering Ureña Rojas family of Café Rivense del Chirripó, led by Régulo Ureña and Isabel Rojas, broke away from the country's commercially driven mega-mill processing model in the early 2000s when they built the first micro-mill in the Upper Buenavista Catchment in the Brunca region of southern Costa Rica.

The move was a definite game-changer that gave them control over quality and the capacity to be creative to experiment and maximize the flavor potential of the coffees grown on their farm and their neighbors’.

Brunca is one of the eight coffee-growing regions identified by the country’s national coffee institute, ICAFE. It is dubbed the last frontier in the ICAFE publication Cafe de Costa Rica: Spirit of a Nation because it is the most remote of all the eight. Within it, the Chirripó micro-region has been gaining renown as a specialty coffee origin due to its terroir.

Located between the country’s two highest mountains, Cerro de la Muerte (3.491m.) and Cerro Chirripó (3.820m.), coffee farms in this area sit at high altitudes from 1300 to 2000 masl and benefit from the rich soils and biodiverse natural environment. All of these contribute to the unique microclimates that allow coffee trees to grow well and produce healthy cherries that capture the myriad flavors of the land.

The remarkable quality of Chirripó coffee had been recognized at the Cup of Excellence, when a honey-processed Caturra produced by Café Rivense ranked 5th in the 2019 competition. This recognition encouraged an increase in land planted with coffee and the cultivation of different varieties in the Chirripó micro-region, which is projected to continue for years ahead.

The hybrid Catuai was introduced to the Brunca region during Costa Rica’s green revolution, along with the latest varieties and agricultural practices at the time. It was created to increase productivity and facilitate easier harvesting by cross-breeding the compact Caturra and the high-yielding Mundo Novo.

The Ureña Rojas family’s focus on traceability through micro-lots enables innovation in post-harvest processing at Café Rivense. The micro-lot system allows them to identify and associate which particular varieties, such as Catuai, grown in which specific microclimates across the farm, express their best qualities when processed in a certain way.

Since micro-lot information is shared when marketing their coffees, consumer feedback can be tied back to the micro-lot and support Café Rivense in learning about the market’s preferences and modifying aspects of their production accordingly.

In this micro-lot, the cherries were selectively hand-picked at the peak of ripeness and processed without the use of water, whether in transit or during pulping. The mucilage was kept full and clean throughout the sun-drying phase.

Black honey-processed, Café Rivense Catuai exhibits multi-layered sweetness reminiscent of ripe and dried fruits accented by mild acidity.

brewing guide

- Ready your brewing tools ahead.
- Keep your coffee gear and containers clean.
- Decide and adjust your grind size based on:
— Your coffee’s roast date
— Your brewing method
- Be consistent with water quality and measuring weight, ratios, and time.
- Remember!
— Let your palate help you personalize the best recipe for you.
— Brew often and have fun!

More about Brewing here.

FOR FILTER

  • COFFEE-TO-WATER RATIO: 1:15
  • COFFEE GRIND SIZE: Medium fine
  • (like table salt; 21-28 clicks in Comandante MK4 and 14-18 clicks in Timemore C2)
  • COFFEE AGE: 7-14 days, ideally
  • COFFEE DOSE: 17 grams
  • WATER WEIGHT: 255 mL
  • WATER TEMPERATURE: 90°C-93°C
  • TARGET BREW TIME: 02:30 - 03:00

FOR ESPRESSO:

  • DOSE: 18 to 20 grams 
  • YIELD: 32 to 36 grams 
  • TIME: 22 to 26 seconds
  • RATIO: 1:1.8 - 1:2
  • TEMPERATURE: 90°C - 93°C

MILK RATIO SWEET SPOT:

DOSE

  • 90ml cup: 18-20 grams
  • 120ml cup: 18-20 grams
  • 150-180ml cup: 18-20 grams
  • 210-240ml cup: 18-20 grams

YIELD

  • 90ml cup: 40 mL (split shot)
  • 120ml cup: 20-24mL
  • 150-180ml cup: 22-28mL
  • 210-240ml cup: 30-32mL

TEMPERATURE: 90°C - 93°C

FOR YOUR POUR-OVER

1. Heat water to 90°C-93°C

2. Arrange your brewing set-up.

— Place your dripper on the carafe & filter paper in the dripper.

— Rinse the filter paper with hot water & remove the rinsing water from the carafe.

3. Switch on your scale.

4. Measure out 17 g of coffee & grind to Medium Fine.

5. Place the carafe and dripper with the rinsed filter paper onto the scale, & tare.

6. Transfer the ground coffee to the dripper; then, tare.

7. Start the timer!

First pour to bloom, 55ml for 30 seconds.

Second pour, 100 ml at 00:30.

Third pour, the final 100ml at 01:15

8. Target to finish the brew within 02:30 to 03:00 minutes.

9. Serve & enjoy!

FOR A WELL-EXTRACTED ESPRESSO—

- Align your brewing variables

- Adjust according to specifics of your situation, like your —

— Espresso machine settings

— Portafilter basket size

— Grinder

— Puck prep style

More here for tips to dial in on point spros.