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Ecuador — Juan Peña Hacienda La Papaya Typica Mejorado (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍋 Juicy Lime • 🍇 Green Grape • 🌸 Florals • 🍋 Sparkling Citrus

DETAILS

• Producer: Juan Peña
• Farm: Hacienda La Papaya
• Region: Saraguro Formation, Loja, Ecuador
• Varietal: Typica Mejorado
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,800–2,200 MASL
• Harvest: Late 2025
• Roast: Light
• Direct: $20.94/kg
• Size: 250g

INTRO

A third year featuring Juan Peña and Hacienda La Papaya — and a Typica Mejorado that is a great representation of everything the farm stands for. Clean, sweet, and memorable, with a sparkling character that makes every sip feel alive. In the cup: juicy limes reminiscent of margarita syrup, green grapes, beautiful florals, and a lemon-lime acidity with a clean, sparkling finish.

THE PRODUCER

Juan Peña is the pioneer of specialty coffee cultivation in the Saraguro region of Loja — the founder of Hacienda La Papaya and a producer whose vision for quality has been unwavering since the farm's first export in 2014. Since 2015, La Papaya has been consistently recognised in top international competitions, often placing in the top three, and Juan has won three consecutive Sprudge Notable Producer awards. The farm plants exclusive varietals and applies the best available agricultural technology — including drip irrigation, agronomist-managed processes, and Juan's proprietary Integrated Coffee Pulse System: a network of soil sensors that continuously measures nutrient levels, humidity, and absorption rates in real time, allowing the team to understand precisely how much water and nutrients each plant absorbs and transfers to its cherries.

Mejorado has become the gem of Ecuadorian specialty coffee — despite similarity in name to Typica, it is now understood to be a cross-pollination of Bourbon and Ethiopian Landrace, distinct from Typica entirely. At 1,800–2,200 MASL in the Saraguro Formation, its refined aromatic complexity and bright acidity find ideal conditions to express themselves with full precision.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Hacienda La Papaya involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Typica Mejorado cherries hand-selected at peak ripeness 🧪 15-hour controlled washing — Parchment coffee washed for 15 hours in pure spring water under careful supervision, with complete removal of mucilage throughout ☀️ Solar drying — Dried over 11 days in solar drying rooms to optimal moisture content

The 15-hour controlled spring water washing is the defining step — by washing with pure spring water for an extended and carefully supervised period, Juan achieves the complete and precise mucilage removal that produces the exceptional cleanliness, sparkling citrus acidity, and green grape brightness that define this lot.

THE CUP

A clean, sweet, and vibrantly sparkling washed Typica Mejorado from one of Ecuador's most celebrated and award-winning specialty farms — juicy lime and margarita-like brightness, green grape sweetness, beautiful florals, and a lemon-lime acidity with a clean, sparkling finish that is impossible to forget.

Flavour Notes

🍋 Juicy Lime 🍇 Green Grape 🌸 Florals 🍋 Sparkling Citrus

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