NUEVA ESPERANZA, Ecuador 10oz

JASMINE | HONEY | LEMON

Region: Palanada, Zamora-Chinchipe
Producer: Juan Pablo Malacatos Mayo
Altitude: 1700 meters
Varietal: Typica Mejorado
Process: Washed

This is our second year working with Juan Pablo and we are thrilled to have his coffee back on the menu! This is a washed Typica Mejorado, a highly sought after varietal that has come to the forefront in Ecuador. The flavor profile usually exhibited by Typica Mejorado is really similar to what you would expect from a washed Ethiopian coffee - tea, floral, citrus, and sweet. 

Finca Nueva Esperanza is located in Palanda, Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador and run by Juan Pablo Malacatos Mayo. The farm sits at an elevation of approximately 1,700m and consists of 2 hectares and 7,000 trees of Typica Mejorado.

When the cherries arrive at the wet mill, they are floated to remove over/under-ripes and then washed with clean water. After rinsing, the coffee is de-pulped and left to ferment in tanks for 70 hours. The coffee is dried in a greenhouse structure for between 12-15 days, depending on the weather.

This is our second year sourcing this coffee and Juan Pablo is the youngest producer we have worked with, at 23 years of age! Juan Pablo grew up on this farm and has lived there his entire life. The farm is actually his parents’, but they gave him 2 Ha to work with and right off the bat, he decided to focus on specialty, starting with this exceptional variety! He planted these trees 4 years ago and this is his second real harvest.

As the farm is small, Juan Pablo doesn’t need to hire any full-time employees. However, during the harvest, they do what is called a “minga” in Spanish, which means families from different farms rotate working on each other’s farms. The work is mostly related to picking, but could involve other harvest tasks. In addition to coffee, Juan Pablo also grows plantains, bananas, citrus and other fruits.