Ecuador La Papaya Rum Barrel Natural

Macerated Cherries, Rum Raisin, Oak, Fudge

if you're on the hunt for a knockout brew, this is your bag. It comes from one of Ecuador's most renowned producer's, Juan Pena of Hacienda La Papaya. For this lot, Juan hand-selected Typica cherries and processed them via one of the coolest methods in the game: rum barrel fermentation. The cherries sat in staves once used for rum production for five ferment-heavy days. When they emerged, they went straight to raised beds for thirty more days of dry/natural finishing. That kind of processing care is rare, and the results are evident in the cup.

You'd be forgiven for thinking this guy tastes like a handle of Captain Morgan. It doesn't. Sure, there's a bit of oak, but it's hardly dominant. Instead, you end up with a sumptuous collection of fruit and fudge. Brewed right, it can land like a liquefied dessert. 

Macerated cherries. That's the big note here. It's the type you might find in the dregs of your cocktail, a sweet pulp laced with zing. The cherries mix with a rum raisin note—not creamy in the Haagen-Dazs sense, but flush with sweetness and edge. In a further processing nod, a bit of oak presents, lending singularity to a base of silky fudge.

A word on brewing: this cup is fairly sensitive, so be careful with high temps and watery ratios; both can aggravate an acetic note.  A pour temp of 195-198 and a 1:15 ratio produces fantastic results. The coffee also rewards patience—rest your bag for two weeks from its roast date before you start brewing.