Ecuador | Mitad del Mundo | Typica & Caturra | Washed

Region: Loja

Elevation: 1500-2000 masl

About: Mitad del Mundo, "Middle of the World", is a blend grown in Ecuador's southern highlands, in Loja, where the Equator splits the country neatly in two. It's a landscape of Andean peaks and rainforest, and the altitude, climate and fertile soil here shape a cup full of cacao and fruit. 

The growers behind this coffee balance their farms with cattle for milk and meat, carrying on knowledge passed down through generations while always looking to refine their craft. Their coffee is shade-grown within agroforestry systems, alongside nitrogen-fixing trees like guabos and porotillos, protecting local water sources and biodiversity along the way. 

Fermentation times here range from 24 to 100 hours across washed lots of Bourbon, Improved Typica, Caturra and Sarchimor. After careful hand-harvesting, the cherries are pulped, fermented and washed before drying, a process that takes anywhere from 15 to 30 days depending on the region. Once dried, the coffee rests before making its way to port.

Sourced from the Loja region of Ecuador, this Proud Mary Coffee offering highlights the classic profile of the Typica and Caturra varieties. Grown at elevations between 1500 and 2000 masl, the beans undergo a washed process, a technique often utilized to emphasize the inherent clarity and acidity of the coffee cherry. Generally, washed coffees are celebrated for their clean, vibrant profiles that allow the terroir of the growing region to shine through, often resulting in a crisp finish.

The roaster identifies notes of cacao and fruit in this specific lot. To better understand how these characteristics are categorized within the industry, you can consult the flavor wheel. For those interested in how the preparation of the coffee cherry influences the final cup, our processing methods explainer provides further insight into why the washed method remains a standard for highlighting distinct regional qualities.