Ecuador Cruz Loma

Tasting Notes: Honeycomb, White Grape, Plum

Ecuador is known for growing exquisite coffee. Finca Cruz Loma is no stranger to accolades due to stellar coffee production and detailed processing techniques by producers Galo Morales, his wife Maria Alexandra, and their family. The 173-acre farm is in the community of San Jose de Minas in Pichincha, a small town in the mountains of northern Ecuador. In 2019, Finca Cruz Loma took first place in the Best of Quito-Pichincha coffee competition while also being the featured producers in Ecuador’s barista championship.

Galo experimented with a new technique for this honey processed coffee. After the coffee cherry is depulped, anerobic fermentation is introduced. This experiment involves an 8-hour ferment with the coffee barely covered in water. This “ferment” breaks down only some of the mucilage on the bean, further developing the coffee’s flavor profile. After this is complete, the coffee is moved to covered raised beds for drying, taking about 25-30 days before being sent to dry mill for finishing and export. This process yields a spectacular cup with notes of sweet honeycomb, sparkling white grape and juicy plum.