finca la nube
FINCA LA NUBE ECUADOR
ECUADOR IS A SMALL SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY WHICH SHARES A BORDER WITH TWO VERY BIG COFFEE PRODUCING COUNTRIES, COLOMBIA AND PERU. HIGH WAGES, THE POPULARITY OF INSTANT COFFEE IN ECUADOR, SMALL AVERAGE FARM SIZES AND THE ACTUAL SIZE OF THE COUNTRY ITSELF ARE SOME OF THE MANY REASONS WHY ECUADOR STRUGGLES TO COMPETE WITH ITS BIG, COFFEE PRODUCING NEIGHBOURS. VERY LITTLE COFFEE IS EXPORTED FROM ECUADOR EACH YEAR, AND IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO FIND THE BEST COFFEES AND EXPORT THEM SUCCESSFULLY. We found this Ecuadorian coffee while visiting the country late last year as part of judging the Taza Dorada. Most of the Andean growing region in Ecuador is incredibly picturesque. Standing at the top of Finca La Nube, we were quite literally in the clouds; from there, the view of the smoking volcano in the distance gave us a real sense of how special and beautiful this farm is. La Nube is located in La Perla which is in the North-West region of the Pichincha province. It lies to the north of Ecuador near the Colombian border. After cupping this coffee blind on many occasions, we were very surprised to see that the farm’s average altitude was only 1350masl. After spending some time with owners, Henry and Verena Gaibor, we learnt that the region’s unique micro-climate makes it possible for the farm to produce such high scoring coffees. Indeed, some of their coffee outscored coffees grown at a much higher elevation. As it is situated so close to the equator, humidity levels are high at La Nube and most of the farm is covered in a hanging mist each afternoon (similar to that which blankets Veer Attikan in India too.) This mist makes you feel as if you are quite literally up in the clouds. Warm temperatures during the day help with photosynthesis and sugar production, while cool night temperatures slow down cellular respiration meaning that more sucrose is left in the beans. After two days of cupping, we selected our two favourite farms in the Taza Dora do competition (Maputo and La Nube) – and they just happened to be right next to each other, which again says something about the unique micro -climate in this region. La Nube is owned and operated by Henry and Verena Gaibor. Henry is a veteran surgeon and war doctor while Verena is a midwife by profession. They met in Bujumbura, Burundi while volunteering for Doctors Without Borders and the United Nations. They have since retired and dedicated their lives to producing some of the best coffees I’ve tasted out of Ecuador. Henry is extremely methodical in his coffee production and is just as dedicated and passionate about coffee as he once was about medicine. He is doing everything right when it comes to picking, processing and drying and has his farm divided into different lots growing different varieties (Typica, SL28, Bourbon, Kaffa and Caturra). Give this lot a taste and we're sure you'll agree that there’s some awesome coffee in Ecuador – even if it’s hard to find!
TASTING NOTES Juicy , f loral, apricot, lingering sweetness.
COFFEE INFORMATION Country
Ecuador
Region
La Perla / Pichincha
Farm
La Nube
Varietal
Ty pica
Processing
Washed
Drying
Raised beds
Dried on raised beds
ECUADOR IS A SMALL SOUTH AMERICAN COUNTRY WHICH SHARES A BORDER WITH TWO VERY BIG COFFEE PRODUCING COUNTRIES, COLOMBIA AND PERU. HIGH WAGES, THE POPULARITY OF INSTANT COFFEE IN ECUADOR, SMALL AVERAGE FARM SIZES AND THE ACTUAL SIZE OF THE COUNTRY ITSELF ARE SOME OF THE MANY REASONS WHY ECUADOR STRUGGLES TO COMPETE WITH ITS BIG, COFFEE PRODUCING NEIGHBOURS. VERY LITTLE COFFEE IS EXPORTED FROM ECUADOR EACH YEAR, AND IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO FIND THE BEST COFFEES AND EXPORT THEM SUCCESSFULLY. We found this Ecuadorian coffee while visiting the country late last year as part of judging the Taza Dorada. Most of the Andean growing region in Ecuador is incredibly picturesque. Standing at the top of Finca La Nube, we were quite literally in the clouds; from there, the view of the smoking volcano in the distance gave us a real sense of how special and beautiful this farm is. La Nube is located in La Perla which is in the North-West region of the Pichincha province. It lies to the north of Ecuador near the Colombian border. After cupping this coffee blind on many occasions, we were very surprised to see that the farm’s average altitude was only 1350masl. After spending some time with owners, Henry and Verena Gaibor, we learnt that the region’s unique micro-climate makes it possible for the farm to produce such high scoring coffees. Indeed, some of their coffee outscored coffees grown at a much higher elevation. As it is situated so close to the equator, humidity levels are high at La Nube and most of the farm is covered in a hanging mist each afternoon (similar to that which blankets Veer Attikan in India too.) This mist makes you feel as if you are quite literally up in the clouds. Warm temperatures during the day help with photosynthesis and sugar production, while cool night temperatures slow down cellular respiration meaning that more sucrose is left in the beans. After two days of cupping, we selected our two favourite farms in the Taza Dora do competition (Maputo and La Nube) – and they just happened to be right next to each other, which again says something about the unique micro -climate in this region. La Nube is owned and operated by Henry and Verena Gaibor. Henry is a veteran surgeon and war doctor while Verena is a midwife by profession. They met in Bujumbura, Burundi while volunteering for Doctors Without Borders and the United Nations. They have since retired and dedicated their lives to producing some of the best coffees I’ve tasted out of Ecuador. Henry is extremely methodical in his coffee production and is just as dedicated and passionate about coffee as he once was about medicine. He is doing everything right when it comes to picking, processing and drying and has his farm divided into different lots growing different varieties (Typica, SL28, Bourbon, Kaffa and Caturra). Give this lot a taste and we're sure you'll agree that there’s some awesome coffee in Ecuador – even if it’s hard to find!
TASTING NOTES Juicy , f loral, apricot, lingering sweetness.
COFFEE INFORMATION Country
Ecuador
Region
La Perla / Pichincha
Farm
La Nube
Varietal
Ty pica
Processing
Washed
Drying
Raised beds
Dried on raised beds
