Ecuador El Sauce

     El Sauce comes from Quilanga, Loja, Ecuador and is a communal lot of coffees produced by Maria Bersabe Calva, Abel Cueva and Homero Abad. The range of elevations in this region sits between 1,700 and 2,000 m.a.s.l, one of the highest in Quilanga. In addition to coffee, growers in the region also grow citrus such as lime and orange, plantains and cherimoya (a fruit Mark Twain describes as “the most delicious fruit known to man). This lot is named after the town El Sauce and is comprised of primarily Typica (Criollo) and Bourbon, with the remaining a mix of Pacas, San Salvador and Catimor. The producers generally follow a very similar fermentation and drying process: 24 hours de-pulped followed by 10-12 days drying, depending on the weather. Some of the farmers in El Sauce have begun experimenting with yeast-inoculated fermentations, using yeast to both alter and control the fermentation step that breaks down the coffee’s fruit in the traditional washed process. As a result, this year's coffee from El Sauce has a predominant fruit forward tone to it, reminiscent of blackberries and concord grape.  Its super sweet and the fruit forward cup profile is a welcome one this time of year while we are waiting for the fresh crop Ethiopian natural processed coffees to land on our shores.  We've been enjoying this one as a flash chilled iced coffee on the hotter days and as a traditional drip on the cooler mornings.