Maritza Dota

About This Coffee

This small release comes from Maritza’s garden of Mejorado in southern Loja, Ecuador. The Dota family has been producing exceptional coffees over the past year, and this lot is no exception. In the cup we find a lovely floral profile with sweet grapefruit, cane sugar, and lychee. Sourcing coffee in Ecuador remains remarkably challenging. Fewer farmers are choosing to grow coffee, and prices continue to rise year after year. Despite these obstacles, coffees from this region remain some of our absolute favorites. The work of producers like Maritza Dota reflects years of investment in building sustainable supply chains and a commitment to unlocking Ecuador’s exceptional coffee potential. We have been working with the Dota family for some time now and recently developed a project in which we bring in their coffees as quickly as possible, regardless of lot size. This has significantly improved quality and shown just how exceptional these coffees can be. This particular lot comes from a tiny garden of Mejorado, measuring under 1 hectare (~2.5 acres), and the intentionality and care that goes into growing and harvesting it is truly inspiring. Mejorado is a very unique variety mainly grown in Ecuador. Though it is colloquially known as Typica Mejorado, we now know — thanks to genetic testing by World Coffee Reseach — that it is actually a Bourbon variety cross-pollinated with an Ethiopian Landrace variety.