Ecuador - Loma Redonda | Washed

This coffee marries the bright juiciness of perfectly-ripe nectarine and pineapple with the rich, soft comfort of home baking, leaving us with a cup that is sweet, lively, and silky-smooth. Great for those who like to pair their comfort with a little excitement.  

Producer
Working in coffee for over 30 years, Efrain Jimenez Abad is no stranger to coffee farming and isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty, either. He learned coffee farming from his grandparents and, recruiting his wife, the two of them have taken on the labour of the farm themselves, celebrating the opportunity to be out in nature. The hands-on experience creates the perfect environment for Abad to closely observe the coffee himself, identifying areas for improvement and keeping the spirit of growth and experimentation alive and well, even after 30 years. He is always happy to pass on his own inherited knowledge– along with whatever new things he’s picked up on the way– with new coffee producers, allowing them to share in the wealth of his years of experience.

Yellow Bourbon 
The Yellow Bourbon variety is a bit mysterious, its origins remaining somewhat opaque to this day. Whether it arose out of natural breeding between Red Bourbon and Yellow Botucatu, or if it's a natural variant of Red Bourbon, who’s to say? Either way, it's a variety that has gained a bit of esteem in the specialty coffee world, and rightfully so. It’s known for its bright yellow coffee cherries, distinct from the usual red colour we see in most cherries, and its high fructose content produces profiles with prominent citric acid, ripe fruit notes and rich, complex sweetness.

Its early popularity waned as it was replaced with other varieties with higher yields and better disease resistance. But its beloved profile couldn't keep those in the industry away for long. The Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC)– the infamous agricultural research institute in Brazil– University of Campinas has picked up its study again to research how higher yields might be obtained. 

Typica Mejorado
It is believed that this coffee developed in a breeding facility in the Pichincha province of Ecuador, who imported select seeds, seeking to create hybrids that produced high yields and high cup quality. This variety, in addition to the Sidra variety, came out on top and was delivered across Ecuador for production. Typica Mejorado commonly features citrus characteristics and red fruit notes and, like Yellow Bourbon, is known for exceptional sweetness.