Ecuador — Abel Salinas Finca Arashi Mejorado (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Peach • 🍵 Oolong Tea • 🍋 Lemon

DETAILS

• Producer: Abel Salinas
• Farm: Finca Arashi
• Region: Saraguro, Loja, Ecuador
• Varietal: Mejorado
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,900 MASL
• Harvest: Late 2025
• Size: 200g

INTRO

A third year featuring the exceptional work of Abel Salinas at Finca Arashi — and a washed Mejorado of notable elegance, brightness, and delicacy. Bright stone fruit and fresh lemon acidity, with a florality reminiscent of oolong tea and an incredibly light body that makes this one of the cleanest and most refined cups in September's current lineup. In the cup: sweet peach, oolong tea, and fresh lemon.

THE PRODUCER

Abel Salinas is a Cup of Excellence winner and first-generation coffee grower from Saraguro, Loja — the fifth of twelve siblings, now managing seven hectares of land at Finca Arashi with approximately 22,000 coffee trees in production. The majority of his output is the exotic Typica Mejorado, alongside some Sidra and H1 Hybrid. At 1,900 MASL in Loja's southern Andean highlands, the cool temperatures and mineral soils create ideal conditions for the kind of delicate, expressive cup that Finca Arashi consistently produces.

Mejorado has become the gem of Ecuadorian specialty coffee. Despite similarity in name to Typica, it is not related — now identified as a cross-pollination of Bourbon and Ethiopian Landrace, it delivers the refined, aromatic complexity and bright acidity that have made Ecuador's finest lots so sought after in the specialty market.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Finca Arashi involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Mejorado cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 Dry fermentation — Beans fermented dry for 24 hours 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed immediately after fermentation to remove all residue ☀️ Drying — Dried for approximately 15 days to optimal moisture content

The 24-hour dry fermentation followed by immediate washing is the defining step — a clean, restrained approach that develops just enough structure and complexity to complement the Mejorado's inherent brightness without introducing fermentation influence, producing the crisp, transparent cup with an incredibly light body and clean finish that defines this lot.

THE CUP

A bright, delicate, and beautifully refined washed Mejorado from one of Ecuador's most consistently excellent small farms — sweet peach and plum stone fruit up front, a delicate oolong tea florality through the middle, and a fresh lemon finish in a cup of exceptional lightness and clarity. Abel Salinas at his most expressive.

Flavour Notes

🍑 Peach 🍵 Oolong Tea 🍋 Lemon