Ecuador El Alisal, Typica Mejorado, Washed

Finca El Alisal is a renowned coffee farm with multiple recent accolades to its name. Located in Fundochamba in the South of Ecuador, the Jaramillo family has been growing coffee here for over 60 years. Yet it is only since Leonidas Jaramillo took over - in 2017 - that they focus on specialty coffee and in particular, the best scoring varieties in Ecuador. El Alisal, “the Alder Grove”, is named after the alder trees for their presence in the area and their influence on the biodiversity and microclimate. These trees and other native species provide soil balance and enhance productivity through variation.
One of the varieties growing here is Typica Mejorado, which is probably a crossing between Bourbon and an Ethiopian landrace. This lot was grown at 2000 masl. After picking, the cherries are oxidized in open tanks and on drying beds to kickstart fermentation before depulping and washing. The parchment is first spread in the shade for two hours to reduce the humidity and then moved to polyshade greenhouses for controlled drying until the desired humidity is reached, or after approximately 12 to 15 days.

We sourced this coffee through our importing partner Makicuna.