Ecuador
Terrazas Del Pisque
Anaerobic Washed

Anaerobic washed process Yellow Caturra

Flavour: cranberry, coffee cherry, white peach

Body: Acidity:

We’re excited to be bringing you our first Ecuadorian VS coffee, a delicate anaerobic washed from Terrazas Del Pisque’s farm.

VERY SPECIAL

You may remember this processing style from our previous VS Ethiopia Jabanto, which was also an anaerobic. In this case, the ripe coffee cherries are first placed in a sealed tank where they ferment in an oxygen-poor controlled environment. Then, the cherries are run through a typical washed process and finally dried in the open air, on raised beds, for 28-40 days. This method generally brings up balanced and refined fruity flavours, far different to the ‘crazy’ ones from the natural fermentation process.

YELLOW CATURRA

Caturra is a natural hybrid of Bourbon, further modified for widespread cultivation by the Alcides Carvalho Coffee Center (Centro de Cafe) of the IAC of Sao Paulo (Brazil) around the 1950’s. The Yellow Caturra variation is caused by a recessive gene and tends to ripen faster than Red Caturra, often presenting light floral flavours. Read more about Yellow Caturra at Coffee Hunter).

The combination of these two elements creates a complex yet subtle profile that is unique and rare to find—hence it’s on this month’s VS.

Now you know a bit more about the background it’s time to enjoy this awesome coffee! If you don’t know where to start, you can use Reuben’s brewing recipe (coming soon, see below).

You can also try your favourite method and play around with some settings to get the best of it. Don’t forget to tell us how it went, adding your recipe here, via email or on Instagram at @samplecoffee.

We look forward to hearing about your experience with this VS coffee!

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: Terrazas Del Pisque
Country: Ecuador
Region: Pichincha
Variety: Yellow Caturra
Process: anaerobic washed
Importer: Cafe Imports
Body
Acidity
Tasting notes: Cranberry, coffee cherry, white peach
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Variety

Yellow Caturra variety

This variation of Caturra is caused by a recessive gene and tends to ripen faster than Red Caturra, often presenting light floral flavours.

The location

Coffee from Ecuador

For a long time most of Ecuador’s coffee production was for commodity grade export or the production of soluble coffees (freeze dried coffee). Only in the last few years has the potential of the country’s coffee production been really explored. We’re very excited about the potential Ecuador and have some truly exceptional coffees

Farm processes

Anaerobic Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.