The Coffee for Champions…by Champions

Photo courtesy of Tri-up Coffee

Like most beans that have graced the Good Cup Coffee Co shelves, this coffee has a wonderful story to tell, and what use is a good story if it is not told? The Ecuador La Papaya Tetsu-Kasuya Processed Mejorado may be a handful of a name to remember, but the origin, varietal, process, and overall cup profile of this coffee are what makes it a memorable cup.

Photo courtesy of Tri-up Coffee

 Juan Peña

Hailing from the Loja region of Souther Ecuador, Juan Peña owns and operates Hacienda La Papaya. The international coffee community would know that Juan is one of Ecuador’s best producers of specialty coffee. As a multigeneration farmer, he has an extensive background in farming, particularly with roses. However, when his flower farm took a dip after a storm hit his fields in 2010, Juan ventured into growing coffee.

Photo courtesy of Tri-up Coffee

 As he jumped into the world of coffee farming, Juan applied his training as an agricultural engineer and meticulous methods of growing roses to his production of coffee cherries. Other coffee producers who have visited the Hacienda La Papaya would say that Juan’s work is a careful and efficient technique that leaves no coffee bean tasting below average.

Photo courtesy of Tri-up Coffee

Juan mainly grows ‘Mejorado’, which has been confirmed by World Coffee Research as an enhanced version of the bourbon varietal. Mejorado was developed in Ecuadorian soils and is a hybrid between an Ethiopian Heirloom and a Red Bourbon. Mistakenly named ‘Improved Typica’ or ‘Mejorado Typica’ this varietal is not a descendant of the Typica lineage. The cup profile of the Mejorado has a more refined sweetness, a better body, and a higher quality acidity in comparison with the regular ‘bourbon’ variety.

Photo courtesy of Tri-up Coffee

 Tetsu Kasuya

The process of this coffee was a collaborative effort between Juan Peña and Tetsu Kasuya! After winning the World Brewers Cup 2016 for his unique 4:6 method, Tetsu Kasuya has gone on to coach and train future baristas. He also works with farmers by helping them process their coffees. Ecuador La Papaya Tetsu-Kasuya Processed Mejorado, the coffee in question, is one of the lots that he has worked on. Together with Erik Liao of Tri-up Coffee who has helped Good Cup source this excellent coffee, we are so excited to bring to you this work of science and art by Juan Peña and Tetsu Kasuya.

Photo courtesy of Dennis Hicks

Ecuador La Papaya Tetsu-Kasuya Processed Mejorado

Photo courtesy of Café Exporto

 After the ripe cherries were picked by the farmers at Hacienda La Papaya, it is then submerged in water to remove the floating cherries. Only the cherries that have not emerged into the surface are to be used in the process. The sorted cherries are then fermented as full cherries, going through a double-stage anaerobic environment for 7 days. The cherries were then moved to dry for a total of 32 days inside an environment and temperature-controlled greenhouse. This processing helped elevate the coffee’s complex flavors and aroma. It also resulted in creating a more layered complexity of its acidity while the controlled drying helped increase the coffee’s body and texture to make it silkier. Some of the flavors that were generated by this specific varietal and the combination of its processing technique together with the cherries’ growing conditions are tangerine, dried mangoes, and pomegranate.

Photo courtesy of Tri-up Coffee

 There’s something quite special about this coffee, and it pays to know the story of its process and its producers for you to enjoy the cup in all its glory. Beyond its citrusy and fruit-forward flavors, this coffee is made even more rewarding when you get to understand the rigorous and meticulous process it went through before the cup. 

Indeed, a coffee fit for a champion can only be produced by champions themselves.

Brew your way to another great month and get the job done with a cup that’s number one. Get ahold of the Ecuador La Papaya Tetsu-Kasuya Processed Mejorado by clicking here!