The Alchemist 001 Finca Soledad - Ecuador
Experimental Process
Pepe Jijon, Ecuador | Typica Mejorada, Lactic Natural
Thick, Sweet, Stone Fruits.
Floral bouquet with top notes of honeysuckle, really unique tactile qualities with a mouthfeel somewhere between fruit pulp and double cream. Lively mango and stone fruit sweetness, bright maracuya notes and cedar through a sweet well structured long satin finish. Think specialty mango rubicon!
The third character in our Profile Series, The Alchemist is born from One Hundred Years of Solitudes' Melquiades. The Alchemist should present us with new ideas on processing and allow us to experiment. These lots amaze us with new and crazy flavour profiles. The aim is to work with producers to develop pico-lots for limited release, this gives producers a platform to dive deep into experiments with the comfort of knowing the lot has been purchased, and it gives us the chance to taste some exciting coffees.
- Origin
- Coffee Specification
- About the Farmer
- About the Variety
- Brewing Guide
| Producer | Pepe Jijon |
| Farm |
La Soledad |
| Region | Intag, Imbabura |
| Country | Ecuador |
| Cultivar | Typica Mejorada |
| Fermentation | 24H Lactic Fermentation - 2% Salt Solution |
| Drying |
Sun Dried - 60 Days |
| Altitude | 1550 masl |
Finca Soledad is an 8 hectare lot in the Intag Valley, on the Cotacachi Cayapas Reserve. Our producer Pepe Jijon is a Brazil born ex-professional climber, with a deep passion for economic and environmental sustainability for Ecuador. Pepe is very personable, and he's bonded with partners throughout the supply chain, his goal is making sure these coffees are understood, with the right context. He is the single most enthusiastic coffee lover I've ever come across, and his energy is super inspiring!
Unique to Ecuador, Typica Mejorado is a very unique variety, originally developed on a commercial farm by Nestle for yield and disease resistance. Confusingly named, this variety was originally mistaken for having Typica heritage, though genetic testing by World Coffee Research proved different. Mejorada actually has a Bourbon-Geisha quality and parenthood, most likely Bourbon cross-pollinated with an Ethiopian Landrace variety.
Our approach focused on both mouthfeel and acidity, for the latter we increased bloom size (60g) to soften the overall cup and enhance cup clarity. With four pulse pours, we chose to weight the pulse volumes towards the front/middle of the brewing, leaving a final 40g pour at 2m15 (followed by drawdown). Our thinking is the smaller final pulse helps balance acidity and avoid a dry finish, but the total brewing time still allows for all desired compounds to be evenly extracted. It's important that this final pour is a centre pour, and the walls are only rinsed once (if needed). We believe this method will help showcase the mango acidity and thickened pulp-like/double cream mouthfeel. We used an Origami S with Cafec Acaba filters. Medium fine grind.
| Dry Dose | 14g |
| Beverage Weight | 210g |
| Last pour | 2m15s |
| Temperature | 92-93°C |
Origin
| Producer | Pepe Jijon |
| Farm |
La Soledad |
| Region | Intag, Imbabura |
| Country | Ecuador |
Coffee Specification
| Cultivar | Typica Mejorada |
| Fermentation | 24H Lactic Fermentation - 2% Salt Solution |
| Drying |
Sun Dried - 60 Days |
| Altitude | 1550 masl |
About the Farmer
Finca Soledad is an 8 hectare lot in the Intag Valley, on the Cotacachi Cayapas Reserve. Our producer Pepe Jijon is a Brazil born ex-professional climber, with a deep passion for economic and environmental sustainability for Ecuador. Pepe is very personable, and he's bonded with partners throughout the supply chain, his goal is making sure these coffees are understood, with the right context. He is the single most enthusiastic coffee lover I've ever come across, and his energy is super inspiring!
About the Variety
Unique to Ecuador, Typica Mejorado is a very unique variety, originally developed on a commercial farm by Nestle for yield and disease resistance. Confusingly named, this variety was originally mistaken for having Typica heritage, though genetic testing by World Coffee Research proved different. Mejorada actually has a Bourbon-Geisha quality and parenthood, most likely Bourbon cross-pollinated with an Ethiopian Landrace variety.
Brewing Guide
Our approach focused on both mouthfeel and acidity, for the latter we increased bloom size (60g) to soften the overall cup and enhance cup clarity. With four pulse pours, we chose to weight the pulse volumes towards the front/middle of the brewing, leaving a final 40g pour at 2m15 (followed by drawdown). Our thinking is the smaller final pulse helps balance acidity and avoid a dry finish, but the total brewing time still allows for all desired compounds to be evenly extracted. It's important that this final pour is a centre pour, and the walls are only rinsed once (if needed). We believe this method will help showcase the mango acidity and thickened pulp-like/double cream mouthfeel. We used an Origami S with Cafec Acaba filters. Medium fine grind.
| Dry Dose | 14g |
| Beverage Weight | 210g |
| Last pour | 2m15s |
| Temperature | 92-93°C |