Juan Peña Hacienda La Papaya Sidra | Ecuador

Ecuador — Juan Peña Hacienda La Papaya Sidra (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍐 Pear Juice • 🍏 Apple • 🫚 Ginger

DETAILS

• Producer: Juan Peña
• Farm: Hacienda La Papaya
• Region: Saraguro, Loja, Ecuador
• Varietal: Sidra
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 2,000 MASL
• Size: 250g

INTRO

From Juan Peña's Hacienda La Papaya in Saraguro — a washed Sidra of impressive flavour and crisp, complex acidity from one of Ecuador's most scientifically rigorous specialty farms. Clean, layered, and botanical from first sip to last. In the cup: pear juice, apple, and ginger, with pineapple, stone fruit, and botanical notes running through.

THE PRODUCER

Hacienda La Papaya began as a rose farm before Juan Peña made the decisive transition to coffee production in 2009. The first export followed in 2014, and in the years since the farm has built a well-earned reputation for both exceptional quality and a data-driven, scientific approach to cultivation across eleven hectares at 2,000 MASL in Loja. Innovation and experimentation are guiding principles at every stage — Juan and his team continuously refining their agronomic and processing practices in pursuit of higher quality with each successive harvest.

Sidra is one of Colombia and Ecuador's most celebrated Ethiopian Landrace varieties — belonging to the Core Ethiopia group alongside Gesha, Chiroso, Pink Bourbon, and Aji. Prized for its vivid aromatic complexity, crisp acidity, and the tropical and botanical character it delivers at altitude, it finds exceptional conditions at 2,000 MASL in Loja's cool southern highlands.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Hacienda La Papaya involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries picked at peak ripeness 💧 Flotation — Floated to remove defects before processing 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 💧 Submerged fermentation — Depulped beans submerged in water to ferment for 15 hours 💦 Rinsing — Thoroughly rinsed after fermentation to remove all mucilage ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried in drying rooms on raised beds for 10–18 days

The 15-hour submerged fermentation is the defining step — fermenting fully underwater creates a consistent, controlled environment that builds the crisp acidity and clean botanical complexity that define this Sidra, while the thorough rinsing and extended raised-bed drying preserve the transparency and precision that allow every note to emerge with clarity.

THE CUP

A flavourful, clean, and botanically vivid washed Sidra from one of Ecuador's most forward-thinking farms — pear juice sweetness, crisp apple acidity, and a distinctive ginger warmth, layered with pineapple brightness, stone fruit, and a botanical complexity that rewards attention at every temperature.

Flavour Notes

🍐 Pear Juice 🍏 Apple 🫚 Ginger