Abel Salinas - Mejorado

Ecuador — Abel Salinas, Finca Arashi — Mejorado (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Peaches • 🌸 Floral • 🍯 Honey • 🍊 Orange Zest

DETAILS

• Producer: Abel Salinas
• Farm: Finca Arashi
• Region: Saraguro, Loja, Ecuador
• Varietal: Mejorado
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,900 MASL
• Harvest: August 2025
• Size: 250g

INTRO

Abel Salinas' Mejorado is a cup full of sugary fruit with a subtle, refined acidity. His rendition of this variety is laden with stone fruit, honeycomb and citrus — an aromatic profile that announces itself immediately out of the grinder with a grand dulce bouquet.

This is a bigger-bodied Mejorado, offering syrupy notes in the likeness of raspberry and nectarine coulis on the warmer side, before evolving into pluot, honey and orange zest as the cup cools. Exceptional work from one of the finest producers in Ecuador.

THE PRODUCER

Abel Salinas is a Cup of Excellence winner and one of Ecuador's most celebrated coffee farmers. He planted his first handful of trees in 2016 and now has upwards of 22,000 trees in production on Finca Arashi, his 7-hectare farm in Saraguro, Loja. The majority of production is dedicated to the exotic Mejorado variety, with some Sidra and H1 Hybrid also grown.

Abel won Ecuador's 2021 Cup of Excellence — the only time the competition has been held in the country — and has gone on to captivate coffee lovers worldwide. His adaptations in the face of shifting weather patterns are testament to a dedicated and skilled grower: multiple harvesting and picking passes are made to ensure only the most evenly maturated cherries make the cut.

Mejorado is a cross of an Ethiopian Landrace and Bourbon. This heritage informs the profile distinctly — pointed fruit and florality typical of Landrace genetics, combined with the bigger mouthfeel characteristic of Bourbon and the high-altitude terroir of Loja. Abel's Mejorado is a brilliant expression of this variety at its finest.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Finca Arashi involves:

• 🍒 Selective Harvest — multiple picking passes to select only the most evenly ripe cherries
• 🔧 De-pulping — cherries are mechanically de-pulped to remove the outer skin
• 🧪 Dry Fermentation — coffee ferments dry for 24 hours
• 💧 Washing — parchment is washed clean after fermentation
• 🌡️ Greenhouse Drying — immediately placed in a greenhouse structure for 15 days
• ✅ Constant Movement — lots are turned continually to ensure an even drying process, targeting approximately 10% moisture content

This careful, controlled approach delivers the clean, transparent cup quality for which Abel Salinas and Finca Arashi are celebrated worldwide.

THE CUP

A sumptuous and rewarding Mejorado with real presence. Abel's lot delivers a grand aromatic experience before the sip, followed by a cup that evolves beautifully from stone fruit sweetness into florals and citrus. Clean, balanced, and a genuine standout from Ecuador's most decorated farmer.

Flavour Notes

• 🍑 Peaches
• 🌸 Floral
• 🍯 Honey
• 🍊 Orange Zest