Juan Peña - Mejorado #19

Our last microlot from Hacienda La Papaya this season, and also our first anaerobic processed coffee! Juan Peña and his skillful team have taken their flagship Mejorado and intensified its flavors via anaerobic fermentation in sealed tanks, where they reside for 120hrs under stable oxygen-free conditions. 

In the cup, we get a more berry-forward version of their standard washed Mejorado. This anaerobic features notes of blueberry/strawberry, with a malic green apple acidity followed by a nougat-like sweetness that reminds us of marshmallows. 

Despite its full name of "Typica Mejorado", this is not a Typica but rather a genetic hybrid that is descended from the Bourbon and Ethiopian Heirloom varietals. Primarily grown in Ecuador but exploding in popularity in recent times, this varietal usually features clean red citric notes and stone fruits, as well as a notable honeyed / marshmellow sweetness.

This is anaerobic processed coffee.

Ripe cherries are hand-harvested and immediately rinsed to reduce natural microbial load. These clean cherries are then transferred into sealed, high-density polyethylene fermentation tanks, where an oxygen-free environment is maintained via airlocks.

The cherries ferment in this stable, temperature-controlled environment for 120hrs, where lactic acid bacteria and specific yeast populations are able to convert sugars into organic acids and esters.

The tanks are then opened and cherries are rinsed, before being dried in-cherry and processed at their dry mill.

Green Cost: $12.00/lb

Importer: Direct

Our "Green Cost" represents the cost of the raw coffee as well as associated transportation costs of shipping from warehouse to our roastery. As a small roaster, this allows us to provide a consistent calculation of our most important expense, given that other costs (e.g. packaging, labor, roast profiling R&D, quality control etc.) can vary significantly. We hope to be able to provide even more detailed cost breakdowns soon.