Altos De Marfil: Loja, Ecuador

From the Importer

Among the highlands that surround the cantón of Puyango in the province of Loja, there is a Forest called Bosques de Marfil, or as the people around there also call it Bosques de Tagua, due to its abundance Tagua trees, a species of Palm found in South America. This natural reserve extends for more than 200 hectares and is located close to the Parroquia El Limo. The Bosques de Marfil provides life and income to the communities that inhabit the region. These Tagua trees provide a type of seed which the communities use to create all types of art crafts, which they sell to people in other provinces. These art crafts generate extra income for the communities and can help them survive during difficult economic times.

In the centre of this region, there is a mountain range called El Limo which goes from east to west. In the highlands of this mountain range we were privileged to find a group of approximately 44 small-scale producers. The coffee from Altos de Marfil is grown by these coffee growers, who have a very long tradition in coffee production, meaning that they grow traditional varietals, favorable for the production of specialty coffee. The average age of these producers is around 60 years. However, most of them are starting to introduce the business to their children in order to continue with the tradition and to pass it on to future generations. These new generation is eager to continue improving the quality of their product.

From the Roaster

We’re excited to offer this coffee direct from our new partners at Caravela Coffee who specialize in importing high quality, traceable coffees from Latin America. This Altos De Marfil from Ecuador is a wonderfully drinkable and nostalgic coffee, layered with many sweet  chocolate, butterscotch and caramel, and dried fruit flavors. It’s a coffee that makes you reminisce about childhood memories of messily eating a candy bar on a warm summer day while picnicking; you know, the simpler times. However you brew it, we recommend that you sip on it slowly and enjoy a quiet, still moment in your day. 

How we’re brewing it

Here’s how we’re brewing this coffee in our cafe. We use the Barazta Vario grinder and a Kalita dripper in this recipe.

Grind size: H5 (Medium)

Coffee dose: 25

Water dose: 400g

Brew time: 3:30

Water temp: 208F

Yield: 12oz