Ecuador — Juan Peña Hacienda La Papaya Typica Mejorado (Anaerobic Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Fresh Strawberry • 🍯 Honey • 🍬 Dried Dates • 🌿 Clove

DETAILS

• Producer: Juan Peña
• Farm: Hacienda La Papaya
• Region: Saraguro, Ecuador
• Varietal: Typica Mejorado
• Process: Anaerobic Natural, Raised-Bed Dried
• Elevation: 2,000 masl
• Harvest: September
• Cup Score: 87

INTRO
This anaerobic natural from Juan Peña hits all the marks that make limited-oxygen fermentation exciting — a winey, fruity cup reminiscent of cherry, with a complex finish of honey and stone fruit. La Papaya has become a shining example of agricultural innovation. In the cup: fresh strawberry, honey, dried dates, and clove.

THE PRODUCER
Over the past decade, Juan Peña has emerged as a prominent figure in the coffee industry. Hacienda La Papaya made a pivotal shift toward coffee cultivation following a failed rose harvest — a decision that marked the beginning of its rise to becoming a leading Ecuadorian producer. Juan's methodical, scientific approach to every stage of cultivation and processing, meticulously documented and refined season after season, produces coffees that reflect Ecuador's unique terroir while carrying intricate sweetness and floral notes. The establishment of CafExporto gave Juan the level of control he'd envisioned since starting his coffee career, providing direct access to his meticulously processed lots.

THE PROCESS
This lot ferments in sealed tanks for 120 hours, with temperature regulated by internal probes to control microbial activity, before drying on raised beds for approximately twenty days. This falls within Juan's broader anaerobic experimentation — the same farm has also fermented cherries in oak barrels previously used to age rum for two decades, achieving results through a five-day sealed fermentation held below 18°C, monitored by temperature and humidity sensors throughout, yielding aromas reminiscent of passion fruit, wine, mandarin, and chocolate.

This extended, temperature-controlled 120-hour anaerobic fermentation is the defining step for this particular lot — it's what builds the winey, cherry-like intensity behind the honey and stone fruit complexity that define this cup.

THE CUP
Winey and fruity — reminiscent of cherry, with fresh strawberry sweetness up front and a complex finish of honey, dried dates, and clove.

Flavour Notes
🍓 Fresh Strawberry 🍯 Honey 🍬 Dried Dates 🌿 Clove