La Papaya… I mean, there aren’t many coffees in the world that have become as synonymous with excellence as what Juan Peñas farm, Hacienda La Papaya, produces year on year. Hacienda La Papaya is located in the town of Saraguro which lies in Loja Province of Ecuador. Sitting at the impressive elevation of 1900-2100 MASL, Juan Peña grows and produces a number of coffee varieties and processes them in just about every way imaginable. Now, a decade old, the 28 acres of Hacienda La Papaya employs 7 full time workers with an additional 40 seasonal workers during peak harvest. The goal here is perfection in experimentation - Juan Peña’s coffees are commonplace in the coffee competition stages, having ‘consecutive annual top three placements in brewers, baristas and/or roasters championships in the US circuit beginning in 2016’ - Royale Coffee.

This is a careful selection of the Typica variety picked at absolute peak ripeness. The cherries were then depulped, fermented for 15 hours, washed, and evenly dried on raised beds. The Typica variety - especially that hailing from this farm - presents Ethiopia-like in the cup with distinct florals, tea-like qualities and flavors of stone fruits, berries, and tropical fruits. Sip on this gem from hot to cold and bask in the nearly endless flavors that continue to open up in the cup. Expect a delicate and silky coffee with floral aromatics of jasmine and honeysuckle that compliment tangy and sweet flavors of passion fruit and raspberries.

This coffee is near and dear to my heart and coffee story. I’ve been lucky enough to professionally brew and roast this coffee at multiple points in my career, and it only seems to get better with each passing harvest. I’m blown away at the ability to get my hands on some once again and be able to share it with you all.