Ecuador, Masadi Coffee, Christian Saltos Morales

"A boa has made itself at home here somewhere, so be a little careful," Christian warns us when we first visited the MasadiCoffee coffee field in 2019. Although the term "field" creates a false impression. Rather, we enter a true jungle, or, to use the technical term: a forest garden. We are Ueli and Sofi. Our mission: to find the best Canephora beans in the world and bring them to the best roastery in the world.

We follow Christian into the lush vegetation. We are swallowed by an incredible biodiversity, by different colors and shapes, we immerse ourselves in a thousand scents and sounds. Our clothes cling to us like a second skin in the humid heat. Here, in the dim twilight under old hardwood trees, perfect conditions prevail not only for the boa, but also for Pepón. Pepón, pure espresso gold. Pepón Hibrido, the Ecuadorian Canephora. Only seemingly wild scattered in the mixed forest, the green and red of their extraordinarily large coffee cherries catches our eye at every turn.
 
Christian explains how the different trees and shrubs protect each other from pests. He explains how he and his wife Alejandra – the brains behind MasadiCoffee and both trained agronomists – work one hundred percent without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. They even managed to treat the aggressive and persistent Broca [coffee borer beetle] with a fungus. The farm is still too small to even receive an organic certificate, but it would undoubtedly meet every requirement of any label with ease. As if further proof were needed, we stand before a magnificent Guyacan. Wow. Christian smiles patiently as we admire the endangered tree species. It grows less than five centimeters per year and produces wood that is among the hardest and most precious of all. How old might this one be?

But back to the mission: The first on-site tests show that MasadiCoffee more than lives up to its vision of competing in the top league. That's why we visit Cristian and Alejandra often in the following months. We get to know all the processes from cultivation to drying in detail, check the consistency of quality, and explore a possible collaboration. There are no doubts about Cristian and Alejandra's intentions. They want to show the whole region that the future belongs to sustainable, dynamic cultivation – and one day live entirely from it themselves. In the meantime, samples land with Weily in the roastery. "They're almost coconuts," he marvels with a big smile as he holds the first beans in his hands.

Our trusted roasting drum confirms: We have discovered something very special here. Or are our taste buds playing tricks on us? We are known for a certain enthusiasm. An unbiased test is needed. So off to Andy Prosser (onsitecoffee.com) for Q&R Grading according to internationally recognized standards. Well, the birds sing, the bells ring, the magic beans work their magic: 90 points! We've never heard of a Robusta with 90 points before…

What we didn't suspect then, however, was that as paradisiacal as the real jungle was, the bureaucratic jungle would be hellish. With great enthusiasm, Ueli and Sofia, together with Cristian and Alejandra, plunged into the export permit adventure – and once again encountered a huge biodiversity: certificates, stamps, confirmations, certificates, stamps, confirmations, certificates, stamps, confirmations. In addition, in Ecuador, while the coffee grinders are fast, all others grind slowly, veeery slowly.

But then… almost two years later… finally, the time has come… the first exclusive cargo can take off. No, wait, someone has just discovered a brand new administrative obstacle. The producers themselves have to appear for the first export. Unfortunately, there is only one appointment left before departure, which is at one in the morning in Quito, a six-hour drive for Cristian and Alejandra. Otherwise, it will be postponed indefinitely, no problem, just needs a few certificates, stamps, and confirmations. Help, please not!

Well, as everyone knows, the story has a happy ending: We are thrilled to offer you MasadiCoffee!

The discovery from the Ecuadorian jungle, refined in the roastery. 


With the mystical power of the boa.