Ecuador — Juan Peña Hacienda La Papaya Typica Mejorado (Dry Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Peach Honey • 🌺 Hibiscus • 🍎 Tart Apple

DETAILS

• Producer: Juan Peña
• Farm: Hacienda La Papaya
• Region: Saraguro, Loja, Ecuador
• Varietal: Typica Mejorado
• Process: Dry Washed
• Altitude: 2,000 MASL
• Harvest: September

INTRO

The best Typica Mejorado lot Onyx Coffee Lab have had from Juan Peña in many years of collaboration — and a favourite among the roasting staff. A washed coffee that hits all the marks: depth and complexity in sweetness, balanced by a tart, almost red-fruit-like acidity. In the cup: peach honey, hibiscus, and tart apple.

THE PRODUCER

Juan Peña has become one of the defining producers in Ecuadorian specialty coffee, and Hacienda La Papaya is at the centre of that work. Located in the Saraguro region of southern Ecuador at around 2,000 MASL, the farm sits in a dry tropical Andean climate with clay-loam soils and water from Andean wetlands. The project began in 2009 and La Papaya is now recognised as a pioneer of specialty coffee production in Ecuador.

Juan's approach is unusually rigorous — trained in agronomy at the University of Cuenca, he has built the farm around close measurement and control: custom fertiliser development, soil sensors monitoring nutrient levels and moisture in real time, pest and disease tracking, drip irrigation across the farm, and seed selection through a managed genetic bank and mother-plant programme. Through CafExporto — the company Juan co-founded — this oversight extends from seed through to dry milling, packing, and export, making every lot "Juan Peña Certified". Coffees from La Papaya have been used in winning and top-placing routines in US barista and roasting competitions, and the farm's reputation continues to grow.

Typica Mejorado is a high-yielding selection developed from Typica, one of the oldest and most revered Arabica varieties. At 2,000 MASL in Ecuador's southern highlands, slow cherry development and a cool Andean climate allow the variety's inherent elegance and bright acidity to express themselves with full precision.

THE PROCESS

The Dry Washed process at Hacienda La Papaya involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries picked at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 Dry fermentation — Fermented dry for 24 hours 💧 Channel washing — Washed through channels after fermentation to remove all residue ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds for approximately 15 days

The 24-hour dry fermentation is the defining step — fermenting without water develops the tart, almost red-fruit-like acidity and the layered sweetness that define this lot, while the channel washing and extended raised-bed drying preserve the clean, elegant structure that allows the Typica Mejorado's full character to emerge with precision and clarity.

THE CUP

The finest Typica Mejorado La Papaya has delivered in years — peach honey warmth, hibiscus florality, and a vivid tart apple acidity in a cup of exceptional depth, complexity, and sweetness. A benchmark expression of what Juan Peña and Hacienda La Papaya continue to achieve at the frontier of Ecuadorian specialty coffee.

Flavour Notes

🍑 Peach Honey 🌺 Hibiscus 🍎 Tart Apple