What Wows Us About This Coffee
It is a subtle but extraordinary expression of Typica Mejorado—subtly floral, super sweet, and so clean! It’s a coffee you don’t really get tired of.
Farm, Lot and Process Details
This lot from Hacienda La Papaya was hand-picked at peak ripeness, then de-pulped and washed for 15 hours in pure Andean spring water to fully remove mucilage. The parchment was dried over 11 days in solar drying rooms equipped with temperature and humidity sensors that automatically regulate airflow to maintain a controlled drying curve, finishing at 10–12% moisture.
Producer and Region Details
Hacienda La Papaya, under the direction of Juan Peña, is widely regarded as the benchmark for modern Ecuadorian specialty coffee. Set in the Saraguro Formation of Loja, the farm sits between 1,800 and 2,200 meters above sea level on Andean clay loam soils irrigated by mineral-rich water filtered through volcanic stone. Twelve hours of equatorial sunlight, warm days, and cold mountain nights extend cherry maturation, concentrating sweetness while allowing complex acids to develop. Juan Peña has championed Typica Mejorado—a cross of classic Typica with Ethiopian landrace genetics—as the variety that, in his words, best expresses the country’s terroir. The farm operates as both field and laboratory, with three resident agronomists, real-time soil and drying-room sensors (Integrated Coffee Pulse), and a continuous quality-control program from cherry to export.
