Ecuador
German Castillo Giron

Washed process Caturra, Pacamara

Flavour: grape hubba bubba, rockmelon, sherbet

Body: Acidity:

It’s been over a year since we shared a coffee from Ecuador, and we’re celebrating the return with this delicious coffee from the farm of German Castillo Giron.

His farm is located amongst the Amazon rainforest, in the province of Zamora-Chinchipe in Ecuador’s south east and not far from the border with Peru.

Surrounded by jungle and virgin forests, it’s a very difficult farm to access. The journey in starts with a two hour drive from Zumba, the nearest major town, and then a further three hours travel on foot.

The region’s remote and exotic location makes this farm unique for its biodiversity and microclimates. German believes that “The sustainable progress and development of communities can only be done by getting together, working as a team, and respecting the environment together.”

We’re very excited to be getting more coffee from Ecuador as it has the potential to be one of the most interesting origins for specialty coffee. Already known to be one of the most biologically diverse countries, Ecuador has the largest number of plant species per square metre in the Americas: a big positive for coffee growers as it provides a set of unique growing conditions for a great range of coffee plant varietals.

Though relatively new to specialty coffee, we think this region has lots of untapped potential as they get access to more tools and education to keep lifting quality.

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: German Castillo Giron
Country: Ecuador
Region: Zamora Chinchipe
Altitude: 1500m above sea level
Varieties: Caturra, Pacamara
Process: washed
Harvested: August 2017
Importer: Caravela
Body: Medium
Acidity: Medium
Tasting notes: Grape hubba bubba, rockmelon, sherbet
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varieties

Caturra variety

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon that was originally discovered in Brazil in 1937, considered to be the first naturally occurring mutation ever discovered.

Pacamara variety

A cross-breed between Pacas and Maragogype, developed in El Salvador in 1958

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 Zamora Chinchipe region of Ecuador

The region sits east of Loja with high rates of organic 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.