Ecuador Finca Lugmapata Anaerobic Washed

Sweet Tarts, Tangerine, Dark Chocolate, Nutmeg

Coffee geeks fawn over Ecuadorian brews, and over the past few years, a handful of farms have risen to the top of the hype list. Chief among them is Finca Lugmapata—and chief among the reasons for the farm's popularity is that it has its very own, much celebrated coffee varietal:

The Lugmapata tree.

The Lugmpata tree was discovered on Finca Lugmapata's property (a stunning coincidence). It spin heads at every cupping; one even placed as a top ten finisher in the 2023 Cup of Excellence. For this lot, the Lugmapata folks put their namesake varietal through seven days of anaerobic fermentation, followed by depulping, washing, and drying on raised beds.

The first thing to say about this cup is that it's exceedingly clean, which is unexpected because anaerobics can pack more funk than a NoHo thrift shop. But clean can sometimes equate to reserved—not so with this cup. It comes out swinging, and the hits land like an Iron Mike uppercut. 

Sweet Tart opens the brew, and man is it sharp. Its presence grows as the cup cools, which makes it an MVP attribute. There's some lovely tangerine at play, expressed in flavor and acidity. Dark chocolate lurks in the background, round and complex, and it mingles with a bit of speculoos. But the best part of this coffee is its grace note: a hint of nutmeg. You catch it on the cool, and it's more Monet impressionism than Rembrandt realism, but damn is it distinguishing. 

Bottom line: this is a blue chip cup that jams more flavor into one sip than most do into whole cups. It doesn't take more than a taste to realize why it's become so hyped.

• Farm - Finca Lugmapata
• Region - Pallatanga, Chimborazo Province
• Varietal - Lugmapata
• 1,700 - 2,000 MASL
• Process - Anaerobic Washed

Best for:

• Aeropress
• Pour Over