We taste: honeycrisp apple, floral, delicate

Farm: Rancho Tio Emilio
Region: La Perla, Nanegal, Pichincha
Processing Method: Washed Carbonic Maceration
Elevation: 1,350 msl
Variety: Typica

We’re happy to continue working with the Gaibor family for a 4th year in a row. This year’s offering is from Rancho Tio Emilio, a farm owned by José Gaibor, whose brother, Henry, owns and operates the farms and mill at Finca Maputo and nearby Hakuna Matata, farm names that may sound familiar since we’ve purchased coffee from them for the past few years. Henry and José's late father was named Emilio Gaibor, and this farm is named in his honor. José works as an infant heart surgeon, living in town during the week while Henry and his wife, Verena, oversee the daily operations of Rancho Tio Emilio as well as their own land at Maputo and Hakuna Matata.

The couple has a very interesting, somewhat dramatic backstory, also having to do with medicine. They met in Bujumbura, Burundi, in 1996 when they were both volunteering for Doctors Without Borders: Henry is a veteran war-trauma surgeon from Ecuador, and Verena is a war nurse from Switzerland. They met in the field during a humanitarian crisis in Burundi. In 1998, the two of them returned to Henry's home country of Ecuador, where they managed a clinic in Quito for 13 years before deciding to devote their time, energy, and resources to another passion—coffee. Henry is extremely methodical and just as dedicated to his coffee production as he used to be about his medical profession, and Verena's management skills clearly show her training and efficiency as a nurse under extreme pressure.

Together, they are doing everything right when it comes to picking, processing, and drying coffees. The Gaibors grow several different varieties, which are clearly divided and marked on their properties: Typica, Bourbon, SL-28, Sidra, Kaffa, and Caturra. This lot is a hybrid of several varieties of coffee developed in Ecuador, specifically a cross-breed created in 2007 combining Ethiopian heirloom types with a Typica derivative. This hybrid variety has proven to provide good quality in the cup as well as fortifying the plants with an increased tolerance to disease.

Henry and Verena produce their coffee in La Perla, Nanegal, which is in the province of Pichincha, relatively close to the border of Colombia. Despite its relatively low altitude for Ecuador (1,350 meters above sea level), the area where the farm is located has a very specific microclimate with high humidity and mist covering over the coffee fields in the afternoons. Evenings become much cooler as well, and this unique combination of characteristics give the coffees from Finca Hakuna Matata a very special quality.

When brewed, this coffee is complex and delicate. It’s soft, with hints of florals like jasmine, honeysuckle, and chamomile, yet crisp with notes of apple and pear. It’s delicious served black, as the subtle nuances may be overpowered by milk. (But you do you.)