Mejorado was originally named Typica Mejorado meaning "Typica Improved" discovered growing on a farm cultivating the Typica variety, yet sharing no genetics with it whatsoever. Genetic testing has since confirmed it is in fact a hybrid of Bourbon and Ethiopian Heirloom, a variety that carried the wrong name for years before science caught up. Rare, low yielding, and increasingly sought after on the competition circuit, it is a coffee that has always been more than it appeared.
Enrique's Black Honey process begins with cherries picked at peak ripeness — dark red, almost purple — selected from the trees at Finca Chelín. After the day's harvest, the cherries are washed and rested overnight, with floaters removed and de-pulping taking place the following morning, roughly 40 hours after picking. Once de-pulped, the coffee is spread across mesh-lined patios outside the farmhouse to dry, spending the first two days under direct sun before moving into shade, where it dries slowly and evenly until the desired moisture content is reached.
