EPA | Ecuador Pichincha Alambi
Fruity Profile | Light roast
Tasting Notes: Candied Citrus, Apricot, Brown Sugar
IT ALL STARTS AT THE COFFEE FARM
Grown northwest of the province of Pinchincha in northern Ecuador, this coffee comes from three smallscale coffee growers: Maria Ortiz, Leonardo Cordova, and Melida Abad. Farms in the north of Ecuador are bigger, at 15 hectares (37 acres) or more, and the area is extremely lush and in very moist conditions with a nice warm summer creating good conditions for growing coffee.
Very close to this region, near the Bellavista Nature Reserve (often known as the Cloud Forest Reserve) there is a very famous guesthouse called Alambi. People come here from all over the world to enjoy views of dozens of hummingbirds in the small garden. Some stay for just an hour while passing through, while others stay the night in this amazingly special place. The name of this guesthouse and of the coffee, Alambi, means water, and it was given to this place due to the numerous water sources that can be found in the surrounding area.
The area has a unique microclimate that is wet throughout the year and has good temperature fluctuations ranging from 53°F to 82°F (12°C to 28°C), with an average of 68°F (20°C). This weather is well-suited for coffee cultivation, which is reflected in the quality of the coffee produced.
These farmers participated in Caravela Coffee Importers' PECA education program. A team of over 40 educators work in seven coffee-producing regions with the primary goal of educating farmers and their families on best practices to increase productivity and improve quality. PECA's efforts are aimed at making the farmers more profitable. Each year, they train over 2,000 coffee producers, and make over 5,700 farm visits, covering almost 300,000 km of travel.
The Varietals
Just like apples have different varieties, and a Granny Smith tastes different than a MacIntosh, coffee also has different varieties, some with more unique flavors than others. The Alalmbi is made up of rare varieties, particular to Ecuador, which contribute in part to its floral aroma and fruity flavors.
Sidra: Sidra is a hybrid coffee variety made from a cross between a Bourbon and a Typica variety (themselves genetically relatively closely related). Sidra can express a very unique fruity, floral characteristics. It has the dense sugars and heavier body of a Red Bourbon variety, and the acidity typically associated with a Typica variety.
Mejorado:
genetic testing by World Coffee Reseach — that Mejorado is actually a Bourbon variety cross-pollinated with an Ethiopian Landrace variety.
Farmer Clever Abad and PECA program coordinator Ivan Rengifo
Coffee trees surrounded by shade
Clever Abad
Drying coffee
TRACEABILITY
COUNTRY
Ecuador
PRODUCER
Maria Ortiz, Leonardo Cordova & Melida Abad
REGION
Pichincha
VARIETAL
Bourbon Mejorado, Typica Mejorado, Sidra
PROCESSING
Semi-washed
ALTITUDE
1300 - 1600 meters
IMPORTER
Caravela
DID YOU KNOW
Due to its location near the equator, Ecuador experiences almost the same sunrise and sunset times throughout the year. The sun rises at 6 am and sets at 6 pm, resulting in twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness.
PRICE TRANSPARENCY
$4.70
Price paid by Driftaway
Not applicable
Free on Board price
$2.68
Farm Gate price
$2.45
Fair Trade price per pound
$2.25
Coffee C-Market price per pound
$0.05
Driftaway's World Coffee Research contribution per pound
This coffee travelled 2,835 miles to the Driftaway Coffee roastery in Queens.
Love the coffee? You can share your compliments & tasting observations with the farmers.
WHY DID WE SELECT THIS COFFEE?
We usually feature coffees from East Africa in the Fruity profile, because it's much easier to find coffees with fruit flavors in that area of the world. However, this coffee from Ecuador is especially rare and special, and perfect for the Fruity profile this month. We roasted it in the Classic profile in the past, and it was an impressive coffee with a lot of sweetness and balance, but this year’s harvest is spectacular with intense and delicious fruit flavors and aromas.
AVERAGE CUPPING SCORE
86.75
/100
86.75
SCAA Cupping Score
20 x 70 kg
Bags purchased
3 years
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2022)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from February 26 to March 22 in Brooklyn. We use the Loring Kestrel roaster for this profile. We have strict guidelines for each of the coffee profiles, and this roast has to pass the development time ratio test as measured in real-time by the roasting software, Cropster. Once it does, it is approved for production.
QUALITY CONTROL
We perform Quality Control via a process of coffee tasting called cupping on all of our production roasts once a week from home as per our Covid-19 shelter in place guidelines. Each cupping is conducted by our roasting staff Kieran D. and Ian T. using standard equipment, and is logged by our Q-certified cupper Ian T. All coffees are evaluated on a scoring scale of 0 to 3.
- 3.0 = exceptional roast - exceeds expectations
- 2.5 = on par with profile - matches expectations
- 2.0 = good roast, but 1 or 2 elements could be improved - needs improvement
- 1.5 or lower = failed - do not ship
PRODUCTION AND SHIPPING
Less than 24 hours after roasting, we bag your coffee in our production facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Our production team is led by Anthony and Torie, and supported by a rotating cast of local artists, musicians and independent professionals.
AT YOUR HOME
Brew this coffee with your favorite home brewer and enjoy the taste of incredible coffee! Here are a few tips on how to make the best coffee on each brewer.
View other posts about how to make better coffee at home on our blog Coffeecademy.