Ecuador Finca La Carolina Sidra Washed

Situated on Ring of Fire, Ecuador sits on top of the equator (hence the name), with Colombia to the north, and Peru to the south. Bordered by the Pacific Ocean, the Amazon rainforest is found to the east, while inland the Andes run the length of the country.

Ecuador’s landscape is like no other, with the terrain and topography contributing to the uniqueness and quality of coffee grown throughout much of the land. With one of the world’s highest, active volcanoes, Cotopaxi (which is the second highest summit in the country), Ecuador not only boasts idyllic, volcanic soil, but also an incredible range of elevations that lends to different climes: coffee can be found growing well beyond 2,000 masl.

Ecuador’s namesake position on the Earth’s equator means that medium-altitude coffee enjoys practically a perfect year-round growing season, often with flowering and ripe cherry sharing the same branch most months. For small farms this means a small but long-term labor force to manage the slow, perfectionistic work required for such a drawn-out harvest. In addition to coffee it is common for farms in this area to grow any combination of potatoes, plantains, corn, sugar cane, cacao, soursop and chirimoya, and heart of palm.

Pichincha, situated in the northern highlands of the Andean Plateau, is known for its cool weather, two volcanoes, and rose farms. Although the area is relatively lower in elevation, the average temperature is 65° and mist often covers the land in the afternoons, known as cloud forests. This climate provides coffee with comfortability during the day, while the cool nights slightly stress the coffee into producing more sugars per cherry.

Microlots from Ecuador are sourced from independent specialty-coffee farmers and represent the highest quality and the highest level of traceability available.

Fausto Romo owns the 6-hectare farm Finca Carolina, where there are 3 hectares planted in coffee.

During some of our in person visits, Fausto credits much of his success to how well the variety “Sidra” performs in his region. Fausto is infatuated with the resulting flavor and aroma of this variety and says it seems to be meant to live in Ecuador.

Sidra is a cross-breed native to Ecuador that is reportedly either/both derivative of Bourbon and Typica of/and a hybrid developed by Nestlé.

As everywhere in the coffee world, harvest on small farms typically involves the whole available family as well as hired pickers. Coffee in Pichincha and Imbabura is processed at home on personal equipment and dried on hand-made structures and greenhouses

Washed coffee is the norm in Ecuador, where most of the lots are either depulped, fermented, and washed or mechanically washed using a demucilaging machine. Coffees are typically dried on patios or on raised beds, often under a cover of plastic or mesh.