ECUADOR PUYANGO COFFEE There are several species of coffee, but only two of which are popularly grown; these are Arabica (Coffee Arabica) and Robusta (Coffee canephora) coffee.
Arabica is the more popular specie which accounts to 75 80% of the worlds production. Robusta coffee is more robust than thr Arabica coffee tree, but not in taste and aroma. Robusta coffee is inferior tasting and has higher caffeine content. Ecuador Puyango coffee is another kind of Arabica coffee which grows in the area of Jipijapa in Manabi province. The province has been producing coffee since 1860. Ecuador, or the Republic of Ecuador, is particularly large with 3 main geographic regions, and the climate of these regions is determined by the altitude. The Pacific coastal area is bound to have a tropical climate and really wet rainy seasons. The Andean highlands have a relatively dry and temperate climate. The dense vegetation of the Amazon has the same climate as those of other rain forests, allowing the proliferation of different forest products including premium Ecuador coffee. Ecuador Puyango coffee farmers make use of the ancient farming tradition, organic farming. This means that no insecticides, herbicides, or inorganic fertilizers are introduced to the crops. The harvesting is done by hand-picking the shade-grown coffee. There are two ways of picking; one is called strip picking where the entire crop is harvested at one time. It could be done by hand or with the use of machine. All the cherries are stripped off the branch. The other way is by selective picking; in this way only the ripe cherries are picked by hand. Primary sorting could already be done by individually picking the cherries. However, this method takes more time and is labor intensive which means it is more costly. But as far as quality control is concerned, selective picking is still the best. Traditional processing is still used in many countries because highlands typically have a limited supply of water. Puyango coffee is subjected to this kind of dry processing. The hand picked cherries are spread out to be sun dried. Periodic turning of the cherries are done to prevent fermentation. The desired moisture content of the cherries is 11 percent and once this is achieved the cherries are transferred for proper storage. A cup of Puyango coffee gives out an exquisite flavor of medium and mellow bodied, floral overtones and pleasant acidity, not to mention the high anti-oxidant and other health benefits one could derive from each cup. |
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Ecuador Puyango Coffee
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