Ecuador
Carmen Gagnay
La Fortaleza

Washed process Sidra

Flavour: florals, cane sugar, grape

Body: Acidity:

We’re back to Ecuador for this week’s coffee, from the Palmito Pamba region.

Finca La Fortaleza is a four hectare farm run by Carmen Gagnay. The majority of the farm is devoted to growing coffee, with around three hectares planted primarily with the Bourbon varietal.

They also tend to a smaller crop of the less common Sidra varietal, which is what you’re enjoying in this delivery.

Among the coffee trees there are also other plants, such as yuca, beans, corn, and sugar cane. The coffee is picked for around four months of the year. Like all coffee harvests, it’s a manual process of picking coffee cherries only when ripe, which are then de-pulped the same day, then fermented dry for at least 15 hours.

The coffee is then washed until the mucilage is completely removed, and dried on a combination of raised beds and under canopies. Drying takes about ten days, depending on weather conditions.

After a long history of lower-grade beans used for freeze-dried coffee, it’s only in the last few years that the potential of Ecuador specialty coffee production been really explored. We think the country has great potential and are pleased to be able introduce you to some exceptional coffees, such as this one.

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: Carmen Gagnay
Country: Ecuador
Region: Palmito Pamba, Costa
Altitude: 1300m above sea level
Variety: Sidra
Process: washed
Harvested: September 2018
Importer: Cafe Imports
Body: Medium
Acidity: Bright
Tasting notes: Florals, cane sugar, grape
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Variety

Sidra variety

Sidra (also known as Sydra or Bourbon Sidra) is a new hybrid varietal, made of Red Bourbon and Typica and combines characteristics of these two varieties. It has acquired the sweetness and the body of Red Bourbon and the bright taste and acidity of Typica.

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

The Loja region of Ecuador

Mountainous southern region with conditions suited perfectly to high quality coffee production

Farm processes

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.