Ecuador – Maputo – Hakuna Matata – Caturra – Carbonic Maceration – Green Unroasted – Archived

Taste:  Full disclosure: Marty has become a little irrational about the latest crop from Ecuador, especially this carbonic maceration (process details below) gem.  So smooth, so packed with deep flavors of chocolate and toffee, and so naturally sweet.  This is a cup to linger over on a cold winter morning.

Roast: A medium (City Roast) will bring out the unique flavors of this bean imparted by the Carbonic Maceration Process.

About: Finca Hakuna Matata is owned by Henry Gaibor and his wife, Verena, who oversee the daily operations of Henry’s brother’s farm, Rancho Tio Emilio, as well as their own land at Maputo and Hakuna Matata. 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. The Gaibors are producing “some of the best coffees I have ever tasted.” says our coffee importer. The Gaibors grow several different varieties, which are clearly divided and marked on their properties: such as Typica, Bourbon, SL-28, Sidra, Kaffa, and Caturra.

Henry and Verena produce their coffee in La Perla, Nanegal, which is in the province of Pichincha, relatively close to the border of Colombia. The area where the farms are located has a specific microclimate: Even though it’s relatively low altitude for Ecuador around 1350 meters, humidity is high and a visitor often sees mist hovering over the coffee fields in the afternoons. It becomes much cooler at night, as well, and the unique combination of characteristics gives their coffees a very special quality.

For this *carbonic maceration fermentation process, the coffee is depulped and fermented for 85 hours using CO2, then it is washed and dried on raised beds in solar dryers.

*Carbonic maceration brings out the unique flavors of the bean, intensifying both the aroma and the sugar content and therefore the body in the cup.

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