Pepe was the first ever producer we did direct trade with - before Rose Coffee Roaster's conception, back in 2020. This particular lot is very special - "JJ" stands for "José and José" - the process named after both Pepe, and his son, José. They created the protocol for the processing of this coffee together - and at Rose, we think it's very special, and our favourite coffee that Pepe has produced.
Pepe's farm is located about 3 hours north of Quito, just above the Intag river, in the province of Imbabura. It's a beautifully scenic drive, peaking above 3000m at parts. It sits around 1500m above sea level, and on a wonderfully situated ridge - you don't want to walk too far without realising.
Pepe grows Typica Mejorado, Sidra, Caturra, and some different Geisha varieties at his farm. All grown, picked, and processed in a way that is harmonious with nature - not taking too much from the land, and making sure the ecosystem is always thriving.
This particular lot was picked and sorted well for ripe cherries only to be taken on to further fermentation. It had 48 hours of WET fermentation in anaerobic conditions - in cherry. Then it was depulped a fermented in anaerobic conditions again for 48 hours, before being washed and dried in a purpose built drying tent on raised beds, where the coffee was moved very frequently to give you this beautiful clean finish of the coffee.
The relationship we have with Pepe is a very special one, and we look forward to working with him for many years to come - some highlights include a lot we personally processed while we were in Ecuador, and tasting some Geisha coffee that we personally planted in 2021.
Don't miss this gorgeous, clean coffee that makes just a lovely cup of filter for your morning brew. I'd recommend it brewed slightly hotter than usual, and it works great in a flat bed, or conical brewer like a V60. The water could be a little lower PPM to bring out the juicy vibrancy the coffee has naturally. We are providing this coffee in 100g bags due to the smaller lot size.