Pepe Jijón Finca Soledad TyOxy Washed Mejorado | Ecuador

Ecuador — Pepe Jijón Finca Soledad Mejorado "TyOxy" (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🌺 Hibiscus • 🍇 Raspberry • 🍅 Tree Tomato • 🍑 Fig

DETAILS

• Producer: Pepe Jijón
• Farm: Finca Soledad
• Region: Imbabura, Ecuador
• Varietal: Mejorado
• Process: Washed (TyOxy: oxidation, dry fermentation, darkroom drying)
• Altitude: 1,515 masl
• Harvest: August 2026
• DDP: $160.34/kg (green)

INTRO
Pepe brings an artist's intuition to his coffee, and this TyOxy lot is another stunning expression of his work. Compared with previous lots, it reveals a softer, more delicate side of a profile SEY has come to know well. In the cup: hibiscus, the sparkling acidity of raspberry and tree tomato, and a subtle hint of fig.

THE PRODUCER
Pepe Jijón is an inspiring producer with an equally remarkable farm. Finca Soledad is a biodynamic operation set within 120 hectares (about 300 acres) of cloud forest, one of the most ecologically rich environments SEY has encountered. He cultivates Sidra, Gesha, and Mejorado on a 4-hectare (about 10-acre) plot within it. Beyond coffee, Soledad is a community-oriented project through which Pepe and his family provide support and employment to single mothers in the area.

Mejorado is a variety mainly grown in Ecuador, colloquially called Typica Mejorado, but genetic testing by World Coffee Research shows it is actually a Bourbon variety cross-pollinated with an Ethiopian landrace.

THE PROCESS
The Washed process for this lot involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — cherries picked at peak ripeness
🧫 No flotation — intentionally omitted to preserve wild yeasts
🌬️ In-cherry oxidation — held in shallow layers in open crates for 15 hours
🌱 De-pulping — cherries de-pulped
🛢️ Dry fermentation — 48 hours in sealed tanks, mucilage intact
🚿 Washing — washed clean
💨 Airflow drying — 24 hours on raised beds with mechanical airflow
🌑 Darkroom drying — 15 days in a darkroom
☀️ Finishing — returned to raised beds to finish drying

Oxidation, fermentation, and darkroom drying all took place in the same temperature-controlled room at 16°C (61°F).

The long, cool darkroom dry is the defining step. It builds the softer, more delicate expression of Pepe's profile.

THE CUP
Soft and delicate: hibiscus leads, with the sparkling acidity of raspberry and tree tomato, and a subtle hint of fig.

Flavour Notes
🌺 Hibiscus 🍇 Raspberry 🍅 Tree Tomato 🍑 Fig