Tio Emilio Mejorado Washed

Tasting Notes: Gardenia , Poached Pear , Citrus Funk: 0/5 Intensity: 2/5 Processing: 0.25/5 Varietal: Mejorado Region: La Perla, Nanegal, Pichincha Process: Washed Altitude: 1,350 masl Importer: CafeImports Price We Paid: $10.81/lb More About The Farm: The farms Maputo and Hakuna Matata are owned by Henry Gaibor and his wife, Verena. They operate a micromill and control their own wet-milling and drying. 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, and 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, and Cafe Imports senior green-coffee buyer Piero Cristiani says the Gaibors are producing "some of the best coffees I have ever tasted." The Gaibors grow several different varieties, which are clearly divided and marked on their properties: They grow Typica, Bourbon, SL-28, Sidra, Kaffa, and Caturra.