Our 2nd year with Juan Peña's astounding Typica Mejorado! Last year we had Hacienda La Papaya's RESERVE lots, and we can say this washed lot is one of their best in many years. Their processing stations are meticulous and immaculately controlled. So you know this Typica Natural will be Clean and Juicy. Not a funky nor a super fruity forward process but is just the right sweetness and acidity. We get some ripe jammy fruits, some floral notes from the Mejorado, and some lovely sparkling acidity. Great to see the contrast between the Washed and Natural Typica Mejorados.

Typica Mejorado Natural

This Typica Natural has vibrant fruit- forward layered sweetness and bright notes in clean and juicy coffee reminds us of Starfruit, Apricot, Hibiscus, Melon and still Jammy.

Natural: Sun-dried cherries that develop deep fruit-forward sweetness.

Process:

The Natural Process is one of the most expressive and demanding post-harvest methods used at CafExporto. It enhances the coffee’s natural sweetness and complexity while preserving the distinctive identity of each variety and origin.

Through precision control and continuous innovation, our teams at Hacienda La Papaya, Yacuri, and Yunguilla transform this traditional method into a process defined by clean execution, balance, and clarity of flavor.

The process begins with selective handpicking of fully ripe cherries, chosen at peak sugar concentration.

Immediately after harvest, the cherries are
rinsed with low-pressure, clean Andean
water to remove dust and impurities. Only cherries in perfect physical condition — uniform color, density, and texture — are selected for drying.

This first stage ensures that only high-quality fruit enters the fermentation and drying cycle, minimizing microbial risks and off-flavors.

Controlled Drying Phase -
Drying is performed slowly and carefully over 20 to 30 days, depending on the weather conditions and the specific variety.

During this time, the cherries are manually turned 3 to 4 times per day to promote even dehydration and prevent localized overheating.

This level of precision ensures that the natural sugars and fruit esters from the cherry pulp are absorbed by the seed, enhancing the coffee’s sweetness, body, and aromatic intensity.

After the drying phase, the coffee rests in parchment for a stabilization period, allowing internal humidity to balance before milling.

VARIETAL

Mejorado is a unique varietal mainly grown in Ecuador. Colloquially known as Typica Mejorado. It has recently be discovered to be a Bourbon variety cross-pollinated with an Ethiopian Landrace variety. The cup profile is meant to have a more refined sweetness and body and a higher quality acidity compared to the regular Bourbon variety.

We suggest letting the coffee rest for 2-3 wks.

This was our second year of Direct Purchase with CafExporto & Hacienda La Papaya

Transparency:

We paid DIRECT : $42/kg cad

Roasted Cost: $50/kg cad