Ecuador — Jose Jijón Fincas del Putushio Typica Mejorado (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🌸 Jasmine & Lavender • 🍯 Wildflower Honey • 🍋 Complex Citrus • 🍑 White Peach • 🍵 Oolong Tea

DETAILS

• Producer: Jose Jijón
• Farm: Fincas del Putushio
• Region: Loja, Putushio, Ecuador
• Varietal: Typica Mejorado
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 2,222 MASL

INTRO

From Jose Jijón — son of acclaimed Ecuadorian producer Pepe Jijón — a washed Typica Mejorado from Fincas del Putushio in Loja that is, simply put, one of the most remarkable coffees to emerge from Ecuador. At just 19 years old, Jose has produced something that reveals itself differently at every temperature: intensely floral and citrus-bright when hot, honeyed and stone-fruited as it warms, and quietly complex with tropical fruit and oolong character when cool. A truly spectacular cup from start to finish.

THE PRODUCER

Jose Jijón is the next generation of one of Ecuador's most celebrated coffee families. His father, Pepe Jijón, has long been recognised as a pioneering figure in Ecuadorian specialty coffee, and Jose is now working alongside him at their high-elevation farm in Putushio, Loja — growing and processing Typica Mejorado at over 2,200 MASL. At 19, Jose brings both the inherited knowledge of a coffee family and the obsessive precision of someone determined to prove himself. This washed lot is the result — simple in approach, perfect in execution.

Typica Mejorado is a high-yielding selection developed from Typica, one of the oldest and most respected Arabica varieties. At the extreme altitude of Fincas del Putushio, slow cherry development concentrates the variety's inherent florality, sweetness, and complexity to an exceptional degree.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Fincas del Putushio involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries picked at peak ripeness 🔍 Sorting — Whole cherries sorted for quality before fermentation 🧪 Dry fermentation — Fermented dry for 24 hours 💧 Flotation — Floated for a second round of quality sorting after fermentation 💧 Rinsing — Thoroughly rinsed to remove all fermentation residue ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Spread on raised beds and dried to optimal moisture content

The dry fermentation and double-sorting protocol are the defining steps — 24 hours without water builds the delicate complexity and floral depth that defines this cup, while the two-stage quality sorting ensures only the finest cherries make it through to drying, producing the pristine clarity that allows every note to emerge precisely.

THE CUP

A coffee that reveals a new character at every temperature — intensely floral with jasmine and lavender when hot, gaining wildflower honey sweetness and white peach as it warms, and becoming quietly tropical with a long oolong finish when cool. Our favourite offering from Ecuador, ever — and a confident, beautiful statement from the next generation of Jijón producers.

Flavour Notes

🌸 Jasmine & Lavender 🍯 Wildflower Honey 🍋 Complex Citrus 🍑 White Peach 🍵 Oolong Tea