I am ecstatic to offer this lovely sidra from Juan Peña and his team from Hacienda La Papaya, a renowned farm located in the Saraguro Formation of Loja. This region is esteemed for coffee growing due to its dry tropical climate, receiving season rainfall for two months out of the year and otherwise enjoying long stretches of cool, dry air. La Papaya is also highly regarded for its exquisite soil and water sources; the Andean clay loam soils, upon which La Papaya's coffees grow, are engorged with nutrients and organic materials, and the farm's water source comes from mountain wetlands, filtered through volcanic stone.

To ensure cup quality, cherries at La Papaya are hand-harvested at peak ripeness, and then floated and density sorted to remove defective cherries. Sorted cherries are then depupled, and briefly fermented in mucilage, before being washed with spring water. Cherries are dried on African beds or in mechanized drying rooms for 9 to 18 days, or until the coffee reaches a moisture content of 9-11%.

The exceptional growing conditions and rigorous processing produce a cup with a distinctly sidra punch of tartness and acidity, like biting into a firm blackberry, a mellow pomelo tang, and gentle date sweetness . 

This coffee was sourced from our friend Steve of Sybil Coffee. Be sure to check him and his coffee out!

Green coffee price: $8/lb