Ecuador: Chirimoya Traditional Washed

Country: Ecuador

Region: Pichincha & Imbabura

Farm: Various producers organized around Finca Cruz Loma

Process: Traditional Washed

Varieties: Caturra & Typica

Harvest: June-September

Altitude: 1400-1700 metres

Honeydew melon, praline pecan, floral and buttery

This traditional washed coffee from Ecuador is produced by farmers from the Pichincha and Imbabura regions, organized around Finca Cruz Loma. Cruz Loma has become a center for coffee innovation in northern Ecuador, producing award-winning lots and pushing the boundaries of coffee quality. This lot comes from various producers surrounding Cruz Loma; a small-farm blend curated by Galo Morales and Maria Alexandra Rivera.

In 2021, Morales and Rivera founded their own vertically integrated exporting company, allowing them to create opportunities for other farms by representing their coffees. They called this lot “Chirimoya”, after the unique white-fleshed fruit that grows in the Andes, which is as complex, delicate, and floral as this coffee.

Enjoying this coffee as a V60 pour over, we get black tea and brown sugar aromas. The first hot sip is a harmonious play of praline pecan and honeydew melon, with a tangerine acidity that wraps around the sides of the palette. As the coffee cools, we can tease out delicate chamomile and rose water, still enveloped in nice caramelized sugars to the last drop.