LEGENDARY – ECUADOR SIDRA HONEY RUM BARREL
Sensory notes: sugar cane notes, rum punch and plum
Region: Loja
Estate: Finca Yambamine
Producer: Diana Velez
Amount: 200g
Finca Yambamine
Owned by two sisters, Diana and Olinka Velez, this finca is a unique place. With a stunning view over the Macara Valley and Peru on the horizon, Yambamine is located on a steep hillside, where it is surrounded by an untouched cloud forest and crossed by the old ‘Inca Road’ that once connected Cuzco and Quito. Diana describes their adventure into the world of coffee as a turning point in their lives. Both sisters started planting coffee around the year 2000, after some major life changes. Since then, they’ve been drawn from the city into the land, investing a lot of effort, time and emotion into producing coffee. According to Diana and Olinka, this land is mystical and full of good energy. The estate is divided into two main parcels: Chorora, which means 'a well' in the Kichwa language, and Yambamine, which means 'land of gold'. The two tracts amount to 5 hectares of farmed land. The varieties produced here are Typica Mejorado, Catuai, Hybrid and Sidra. This latter variety comes directly from the 'mother' Sidra plant, being only the second generation of this variety. This estate is also a pioneer in experimental processing in the country. Managed by Hernan Cabra, an expert in coffee processing, this farm has produced some unique profiles and won the first and the second places in 'Taza Dorada' competition in 2019 with a record-breaking score in Ecuador.Their coffees really speak for themselves as they are incredibly complex, well-balanced and with intense fruity notes.
Sidra Honey Rum Barrel
Sidra is a variety which was developed in Ecuadorian soils and it is a crossing between Red Bourbon and Typica. It is one of the most popular and sought after varieties in Ecuador and it has a very complex, red berry note, balanced acidity and a very sweet profile.
Process
This coffee was hand-sorted between May and June 2021. The first step was to pulp the coffee cherries, leaving the mucilage only and placing the coffee inside rum barrel tanks to ferment for approximately 8 days. After fermenting, the parchment coffee was placed under the sun in mucilage - ‘caramelised’. Then, after sun drying, the coffee is taken inside marquesinas (polytunnels) to slowly dry for around 20 days. This coffee has been through a final stabilisation process for about 8 weeks before it is ready to export.