Ecuador Zamora Mixed Fermentation Organic

This is the first coffee from Ecuador we've had in years! If that weren't exciting enough, this coffee is also unique for it's processing method: mixed fermentation. It's a semi-washed method like honey processed that strikes a balance between fully washed and natural coffees. We really enjoyed this cup for it's moderate acidity, big body, sweetness and complexity.

Arrival Date: June 14th, 2021

Acidity & Brightness: Moderately low acidity, sweet

Balance & Finish: Slightly complex, lingering sweet finish

Body & Texture: Full bodied, creamy texture

Flavor Traits: Dark cherry, cocoa powder, cola

Grade: SHG (Strictly high Grown) very dense, grown at 822-2000 masl

Certifications: Organic

Processing: Mixed Fermentation (semi-washed): Ripe cherries floated and then fermented whole for 90-94 hours prior to pulping and fermenting again in parchment underwater for 10-12 hours, then fully washed and dried on raised beds for 18 days.

Variety: Caturra, Catucai and Typica

Roasting: Start with a Full City (Medium), or just before the second crack. This coffee roasts very evenly. This is another coffee that's fun to experiment with across a range of roast profiles. The flavor changes--more sweetness and fruity notes in light-medium roasts and the chocolate tones pick up and become increasingly darker chocolate as your roast progresses. We'd suggest avoiding roasts going more than a couple seconds into second crack though.

Reminder: This is raw coffee. You have to roast it before brewing.

Our Review: "Have you ever paused to think about all of the amazing origin countries that the equator passes through? The most obvious, Ecuador, might not be the first to come to mind. Ecuador is one of the more elusive origins, likely the result of a high cost of production, which makes it more difficult to compete in a global market. Diversification has been the key to competing for the Asociación de Pequeños Exportadores Agropecuarios Orgánicos del Sur de la Amazonía Ecuatoriana (APEOSAE), which has 180 members. Through APEOSAE, members have established organic farm management practices and organic certification for all of these products including coffee. Focus on quality has also been recognized with a fourth place finish in the 2018 Gold Cup coffee competitions. The harvest starts with meticulous hand picked cherries that are washed and floated to remove less dense and damaged beans. Next the coffee is depulped, fermented, washed and gently dried on raised beds at the farm. The finished parchment is then transported to  the central APEOSAE warehouse and stored in grainpro bags until it is time to mill and export. APEOSAE has its own dry mill, which allows for the same meticulous sorting through all the stages of post harvest processing." -Royal Coffee

I can't tell you how excited I was to receive our first coffee from Ecuador in many years, especially since it's such a high quality green! This coffee is even more unique due to it's semi-washed nature. It goes through a mixed fermentation process, though keep in mind that all coffees that aren't fully washed have received some degree of fermentation. This producer's very exacting 2 step process goes like this: Ripe cherries are floated and then fermented whole for 90-94 hours prior to pulping and fermenting again in parchment underwater for 10-12 hours, then fully washed and dried on raised beds for 18 days. What results is a coffee with lower acidity and more flavor complexity! It's also got quite a big body and a delightfully creamy texture with notes of dark cherry, cocoa powder and cola.