Ecuador Pichincha Alambi
Fruity Profile | Light roast
Tasting Notes: Jasmine, Orange, Raspberry
NOTE: The tasting notes on this coffee's bag label and postcard are incorrect, but the ones above are correct! Sorry for the confusion!
IT ALL STARTS AT THE COFFEE FARM
Grown northwest of the province of Pinchincha in northern Ecuador, this coffee comes five small scale coffee growers. Farms in the north of Ecuador are bigger, at 15 hectares (37 acres) or more, and the area is extremely lush with a nice warm summer, creating good conditions for growing coffee.
The contributing producers of Alambi not only cultivate coffee but also engage in secondary activities such as cattle farming for milk or meat, which provides them with an additional source of income. The passion and love for coffee have been passed down through generations, along with the farms that have become part of their legacy. While they have inherited knowledge about coffee from their parents, they continue to learn and strive for improvements in order to achieve higher-quality coffee.
These producers are mindful of their environmental impact and actively practice environmentally friendly techniques while protecting water sources, resulting in rich biodiversity on their farms. All of their coffee farms are shaded and managed using agroforestry systems, incorporating other crops such as guabos and porotillos, which aid in nitrogen fixation in the soil.
These farmers participate in Caravela Coffee Importers' PECA education program. A team of educators educate farmers and their families on best practices to increase productivity and improve quality, and 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.
Coffee Processing
After the coffee fruit (aka cherries) are harvested, they are then taken to each producer's on-farm wet mill where they are pulped: meaning, the coffee fruit is stripped off from the seeds (aka beans!). After pulping, there is still some residual fruit and sugar on the seeds, and instead of washing this off right away, the coffee first undergoes fermentation in closed and airtight containers. In some cases, water is used during fermentation, while in others, no water is added. The fermentation period ranges from 24 to 48 hours, depending on the farmer's specific circumstances. Some producers go so far as to monitor the pH of the coffee seeds and remove them when they reach a range of 4.1 to 3.8 pH.
The next step involves washing the coffee two to three times before transferring it to the drying area, where it will take approximately 15 to 30 days to reach the desired humidity level.
Once the coffee is dried, the final parchment coffee (parchment coffee is coffee seeds with their last remaining natural protective layer still intact, called parchment) is occasionally stored on the farm for around one week. Subsequently, the grower transports the coffee to the purchasing station in Quito, where it undergoes analysis by a Caravela Quality Analyst. Initially, a representative sample is subjected to a thorough physical analysis, which measures moisture level, water activity, and to identify any physical defects. Following the physical analysis, the coffee is tasted to determine its quality grade. Finally, the parchment coffee is processed at Caravela's mill in Quito - this is when that final layer of parchment is removed from the seeds. The coffee is then shipped to the Colombian port to make its journey over sea to the US. Click here to learn more about coffee processing!
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 revealed that Mejorado is actually a Bourbon variety cross-pollinated with an Ethiopian Landrace variety.
Coffee trees surrounded by shade
TRACEABILITY
PRODUCER
Francisco Villalba, Milton Rivadeneira, Maria Abad, Hikler Delgado
MILL / WASHING STATION
On farm
PROCESSING
Washed
ALTITUDE
1200 - 2000 meters
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
$4.85
Price paid by Driftaway
$3.67
Free on Board price
$3.00
Farm Gate price
$2.00
Fair Trade price per pound
$1.80
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
87.25
/100
87.25
SCAA Cupping Score
15 x 69 kg
Bags purchased
4 years
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2023)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from December 31 to January 24 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 at our roastery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Each cupping is conducted by James M. 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.
