Ecuador — Pepe Jijon Finca La Soledad Typica Mejorado (Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Nectarine • 🍒 Cherry • 🍵 Earl Grey

DETAILS

• Producer: Pepe Jijon
• Farm: Finca La Soledad
• Region: Intag Valley, Ecuador
• Varietal: Typica Mejorado
• Process: Natural
• Altitude: 1,600 MASL
• Harvest: September 2024
• Roast: Ultra Light (Agtron #134)

INTRO

Passion runs as a through-line in everything Pepe Jijon does — and this naturally processed Typica Mejorado from La Soledad is the culmination of that passion, applied to processing and drying with the same adventurous precision he brings to everything at the farm. The perfect marriage of process and cup clarity. In the cup: nectarine, cherry, and Earl Grey.

THE PRODUCER

Pepe Jijon is one of the most original and adventurous producers in specialty coffee — the first Latin American to solo-climb the seven summits, farming Gesha, Sidra, and Typica Mejorado across 4 hectares of a 120-hectare cloud forest in Ecuador's Intag Valley. His Wave and Oxidator processing methods have earned Finca La Soledad international recognition and a devoted following among roasters who prize both innovation and cup clarity. This naturally processed Typica Mejorado represents a different expression of Pepe's work — the original wave technique slowed down to its most elemental form, with the natural process and raised-bed drying allowed to speak without further intervention.

Ecuador has recently emerged as one of specialty coffee's most compelling new origins, redefined by committed producers and bold processing innovations. Mejorado has become the gem of that story — identified as a cross-pollination of Bourbon and Ethiopian Landrace, distinct from Typica despite the similarity in name, and prized for its refined aromatic complexity, bright acidity, and the tropical and botanical character it delivers at altitude.

THE PROCESS

The Natural process at Finca La Soledad involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Typica Mejorado cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔍 Sorting — Carefully sorted before drying to ensure only the finest ripe cherries proceed ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Whole cherries dried on raised beds with good airflow, turned regularly throughout to ensure even drying and prevent overfermentation

The raised-bed natural drying is the defining step — by drying whole fruit on raised beds with careful, consistent turning, Pepe allows the cherry's sugars to integrate slowly and evenly into the bean, building the nectarine and cherry sweetness and Earl Grey aromatic complexity that define this lot while preserving the cup clarity that is the hallmark of La Soledad's finest lots.

THE CUP

A beautifully precise and elegantly expressive natural Typica Mejorado from one of Ecuador's most visionary producers — nectarine sweetness, cherry depth, and a distinctive Earl Grey character that speaks of both the variety's inherent aromatic complexity and the careful raised-bed drying behind this cup. Passion, process, and clarity in perfect alignment.

Flavour Notes

🍑 Nectarine 🍒 Cherry 🍵 Earl Grey