Wave Honey Sidra - Pepe Jijon

DETAILS

Farm: Finca Soledad
Region: Imbabura, Ecuador
Variety: Sidra
Process: Wave Honey
Altitude: 1515 MASL
Producer: Pepe Jijón

Tastes Like — Elstar Apple 🍏 • Lemon Verbena 🍃 • Honey 🍯

Spirits are always high when Pepe Jijón’s coffees return to our offer list—and this year’s lot is a truly exceptional expression of his craft.

This Sidra lot undergoes Pepe’s signature Wave Honey process, a meticulous and deeply intentional method he has refined over the years. Freshly harvested cherries first undergo a 72-hour fermentation in tanks, developing layered sweetness and bright aromatics. They are then dried very slowly in a dark room, using carefully modulated, intermittent temperatures over up to 50 days. This extended, controlled drying preserves volatile aromatics and builds extraordinary complexity.

Once the parchment reaches its ideal moisture level, it is sealed in GrainPro bags and stabilized for one month, ensuring a clean, polished, and crystalline cup profile.

In the cup, we taste crisp Elstar apple, bright lemon verbena, and gentle honey sweetness—a delicate yet expressive Sidra with clarity, purity, and impeccable balance.

ABOUT THE PRODUCER

Before becoming a coffee producer, Pepe Jijón lived a life of breathtaking exploration. A former mountain guide, he traveled to more than 100 countries and impressively completed the Seven Summits solo. After years of adventure, he sought stillness and rootedness—something he finally found in the lush Intag Valley of northern Ecuador.

His farm, Finca Soledad, is small—only about 4 hectares of coffee—but it is a sanctuary of biodiversity, intention, and craftsmanship. Pepe cultivates Typica Mejorada, Sidra, and Geisha, producing tiny volumes of some of the most distinctive coffees in Ecuador. Because production is so limited, receiving a lot from his farm is always an honor.

What is the roast recency?

We recommend brewing with beans that are at least two weeks off roast. All beans are roasted to peak flavour at around 6-12 weeks. We have the option to either purchase standard beans (at least 2 weeks but no longer than 6 weeks off roast), or rested beans (at least 7 weeks off roast, no longer than 12 - should we have any left in stock!). For peak flavour, if you are looking to use immediately, we recommend purchasing the rested beans. If you are adding to your rotation of beans, we recommend purchasing the standard and allowing the beans to naturally rest and mature whilst you rotate through other beans.

What does 'Filter' or 'Espresso' Roast mean?

Typically filter is roasted lighter than espresso, though this is not always the case. Several factors play into what brands a Manhattan coffee as 'filter' or 'espresso', which includes the roast profile - i.e. how the beans are roasted, not just how developed a roast it is. It doesn't preclude you from using the beans for espresso though!