Today's release is a companion drop, 2 different processing methods of the same varietal, from the same farm. Juan Pena's operation at Hacienda La Papaya is one of notoriety and excellence. Starting out as a rose farmer, Juan Pena began planting coffee trees and diversifying his crops after a particularly disastrous harvest. Now, 16 years after the first coffee trees were planted at La Papaya, Juan has won many awards, and is a familiar name in Barista Competitions around the world. Growing mostly Mejorado, Sidra, and Gesha between 1900-2100masl at his farm in Saraguro, the systems in place at La Papaya are highly organized and carefully engineered to pursue consistently high quality at scale. A state of the art drip irrigation system runs across all 28 acres, with a seedling nursery constantly iterating upon the current varietals and ensuring quality year over year. On top of this, there are automated soil management sensors that detect levels of different nutrients in each plot. This is our first time purchasing from Hacienda La Papaya, and we hope to continue that relationship long into the future. Shoutout to Brian of Norml Coffee Ppl for connecting us with them during his origin trip to Ecuador in early 2025! 

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Juan Pena Mejorado Washed:

An excellently clean representation of the Mejorado varietal with very minimal intervention. Depulped, washed with clean water, fermented underwater for 15 hours, then dried on raised beds. Meticulous sorting and excellent drying make for an easy to work with coffee, and an excellent cup. While hot, the cup starts off with a lovely medley of mixed berries, acai, blackberry, and mulberry all swirl around with an intensely fresh and clean sweetness. In the centerline, notes of white tea, vanilla ice cream, and cashew butter carry the body along just enough to prop up a beautifully delicate floral bouquet. Lavender, lilac and jasmine are all singing as the cup cools, with a long lingering softness of bergamot and pine. 

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Juan Pena Mejorado Natural:

Calling back to its roots, when processed as a natural in a controlled environment, Mejorado often reminds us of the best that Ethiopian nats have to offer. This absolute stunner from La Papaya holds very true to that notion, having been picked at peak ripeness with great sorting, then left to dry slowly and evenly on raised beds for 20-30 days. In the cup, we find loud jammy fruit notes like mulberry jam, tropical notes like pineapple and mango, and a syrupy, sticky sweet apricot through the center. In stark contrast to the more delicate washed, this coffee has incredible intensity and lightning acidity. An aromatic heavy citric tone jumps out as the cup cools, reminding us of lemon oil and finger limes. In the final sips, lovely floral tones of hibiscus and cherry blossoms simmer to the surface, not at all hindered by the processing method.