2017 Ecuador Golden Cup 1st Place | El Chorro Estate | Silvio Small Farmer Caturra Washed

FrontStreet Coffee Single-Origin Recommendation: 2017 Ecuador Golden Cup 1st Place — El Chorro Estate, Serbio Small Farmer Caturra Washed

(Ecuador Loja Calvas El Chorro Serbio Pardo - Taza Dorada #1)

Flavor Description: Citrus marmalade, grapefruit, subtle spice notes, jam-like sweetness, cocoa, clean sugarcane aroma, balanced sweet and sour, delicate sweetness, long-lasting aftertaste

Awards

2017 Ecuador Golden Cup Competition Taza Dorada (Golden Cup) - 1st Place

2016 Ecuador Golden Cup Competition Taza Dorada (Golden Cup) - 1st Place

2015 Ecuador Golden Cup Competition Taza Dorada (Golden Cup) - 2nd Place

Country: Ecuador

Region: Southern Region, Loja Province, Calvas County

Variety: Caturra

Processing Station: El Chorro Estate

Producer: Serbio Pardo Small Farmer

Altitude: 1,900 meters

Grade: High Altitude Washed Premium (SHB)

Annual Rainfall: N/A

Soil Type: Volcanic clay

Introduction

Taza Dorada (Golden Cup) is Ecuador's coffee competition, where specialty green beans produced by small farmers are evaluated by national and international judges. It can be thought of as Ecuador's Cup of Excellence (COE), though unlike the COE system, Taza Dorada doesn't assist winners with an auction afterward. The winning batches of green coffee are almost entirely pre-booked by knowledgeable buyers.

This year, a total of 37 small farmers won awards, and this is the first-place winning batch. Ecuador's coffee cultivation is currently run mostly by small farmers (over 90%), and agricultural technology lags behind the Central American producing countries. Production is limited too, and few importers bring it to market. Through this Ecuadorian Golden Cup competition, coffee enthusiasts can taste this award-winning batch of high-quality Ecuadorian beans, which have achieved a cupping score as high as 90.45 points.

This batch comes from small farmer Serbio Pardo's coffee farm, located in Calvas County, Loja Province, in the southern region. He is a small-scale coffee farmer who already took second place in the 2015 Ecuador Golden Cup (Taza Dorada), demonstrating impressive ability. This year (2016) he entered the national Golden Cup (Taza Dorada) and took first place, proving his skill was no coincidence. The competition is organized annually by Ecuador's Coffee Exporters Association (ANECAFE), something like Ecuador's Cup of Excellence (COE) annual competition, though selling the green beans still requires finding buyers individually.

Serbio Pardo is a small-statured coffee farmer with a modest cultivation area—a small yet beautiful farm. Abundant local rainfall and a natural environment perfect for coffee make these beans an outstanding work of favorable timing and human effort, well worth tasting as Ecuador's top-scoring championship coffee.

Ecuadorian coffee farms generally have small cultivation areas: approximately 80% of coffee farmers cultivate less than 5 hectares, 13% between 5 and 10 hectares, and only 7% more than 10 hectares. According to statistics, of the roughly 300,000 hectares of cultivation area nationwide, 20% of coffee farm land is illegally occupied. According to Ecuadorian Coffee Association data, Ecuador's most important coffee-producing region is MANABI Province, with Imbabura Province accounting for a smaller cultivation share.

Ecuador's domestic coffee trade is quite distinctive, mainly involving domestic buyers traveling to small farmers to negotiate purchases. These middlemen move tirelessly from village to village, visiting farmers individually to agree on prices. After purchase agreements, the coffee is centrally transported to a few processing plants, then transferred to exporters or processors. Ecuador's coffee processing industry is mainly located in three major cities—Guayaquil, Quito, and Manta—with only a few towns having traditional small-scale manual processors.

Ecuador's coffee cultivation area reaches 305,000 hectares, with Arabica accounting for 68% and Robusta 32%. Coffee, cocoa, and bananas are Ecuador's three major traditional crops, serving not only as income for farmers and foreign exchange for the country but also as important crops providing employment and social stability. Because international coffee prices fell sharply around 2000, Ecuador's coffee cultivation gradually declined and its share of world coffee production decreased. By 2009, Ecuador's coffee production accounted for only 1% of the world total. Ecuador's coffee exports have gradually increased, however, mainly because its instant coffee processing industry is well developed, importing foreign coffee for processing and re-export alongside domestically produced coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee is a roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but a diverse range of beans, where you can find both famous and lesser-known lots. It also offers online store services.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a washed single-origin with this kind of clarity and balance, FrontStreet Coffee suggests these comparisons.

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FrontStreet Kenya Small Tomato

A washed Kenyan single-origin from the Sika region, grown at 1550-1750 meters from SL28 and SL34 with a 72-hour double washed fermentation. Expect vivid cherry tomato and smoked plum acidity, a full juicy body, snow pear and black plum mid-palate, and a clean finish of yellow sugar and green tea.

FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1

Washed processing gives bright, low-defect green beans and a balanced, clean cup with hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel. A benchmark for the classic, restrained washed profile.