Name: Ecuador Costa Esmeraldas Direct Trade 2026
Brand: Cacao Services
SKU: ESMERALDAS-WHOLE-RAW-1LB
Price: 15.93 USD
Availability: InStock

Ecuador Costa Esmeraldas Direct Trade 2026

Origin: Ecuador
Region: Single estate Muisne in the Esmeraldas province
Type: Ecuadorian Nacional hybrids: EET-19, EET-48, and EET-62
Sourcing: Direct Trade, Uncertified Organic
Crop Year: 2026

The preparation on this bean is perfect, very even, with its beautiful red-auburn color.

The overarching impression for Ecuador Esmeraldas has always been nuance and elegance, and that remains the case. The aroma starts off with chocolate and light fir boughs. The thick chocolate backbone is backed with delicate wood tannins and brown sugars.

In keeping with that elegance, all the flavors are integrated and harmonious. Fudge brownie and a delicate mineral acidity start things off. There is a creamy, slight hazelnut flavor that is clean and slightly earthy. I find hints of peach jam. The inherent sweetness is candy-like and reminiscent of demerara sugar. There is little to no excessive bitterness or astringency. The acidity balance is perfect, leaving you with an unmistakable satisfaction.

The roast profile for my evaluation was 9:15/11:25/16:55 @ 250 F. Generally speaking, you are going to want to take it easy on the throttle here. With the nut notes present, you run the risk of making them bitter. Likewise, I have found Costa Esmeraldas does not like a high EOR for the same reason. Fortunately, the bean announces this very nicely with sharp aromas. When you get those, whatever your method, turn the power down.

Drum Roasting

The specific profile I used to evaluate this is 13:50/16:25/20:55 @ 251 F. You can come in pretty strong, but you will want to pull the power back as you are coming into the end of the drying phase, lest you have too much momentum. Keep backing off that power as the roast progresses, or you run the risk of ending up with astringency because you had to choose between too high of an EOR temperature, which will bitter it, or too short of a finishing phase.

Behmor Roaster

Roast 2.5 lb if you can, and use P1 on the one-pound setting until you smell it going sharp, then turn it down. That should be around the 18 minute mark. Keep turning it down to keep the sharp aromas in check, and stop the roast when you can no longer get the sharpness to go away. I was down to 25% power by the end for my evaluation roasts.

Oven Roasting

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Put 1-2 lb of beans onto a tray, single layer deep. Check the temperature every 5 minutes, stirring at that time. When the beans are in the 205-215 F range, reduce the oven temperature to about 10-15 F above your target EOR, so if you are going for 250 F, set it to 265 F. When the beans reach your desired temperature and/or are smelling sharp, another 15-30 minutes, remove them and let them cool. This should give you a nice, fully developed roasted bean that is in little danger of being over-roasted.

About This Origin

Costa Esmeraldas is a family-owned, single-estate cacao farm near the fishing town of Tonchigue in Ecuador’s Esmeraldas province. The Salazar family has built the farm around Nacional cacao, restoring former cattle pasture into a more diverse system of cacao, timber, fruit trees, and protected forest corridors.

The farm is now closer to 130 hectares and actively run by the Salazar family, with Freddy Salazar responsible for farm and post-harvest operations. The orchard and processing work support more than 40 full-time jobs in rural Esmeraldas.

Dan O’Doherty notes that Costa Esmeraldas’ employment model is built around salaried jobs with benefits such as social security and paid time off, creating a more stable path than many small-farm alternatives in the region.

This is one of the origins where post-harvest work matters as much as the genetics. Daniel O’Doherty of Cacao Services has worked closely with Costa Esmeraldas on fermentation and drying, and that influence shows in the even, beautiful fermentation we see in the beans.

Post-Harvest Details

Fermentation: Five-tier cascade system in Cedro (Cedrela odorata) wood boxes with roughly 450 kg capacity.
Turning: Turned once at 36 hours, then every morning until fermentation is complete.
Fermentation duration: 5 ½ days.
Drying: Sun dried on sliding mesh racks under high-walled polyethylene tunnels, with gradual drying during the first three days and finish-drying to 7% moisture on concrete patios.
Grading: Each fermentation box receives an ID; dried cacao is evaluated by appearance, aroma, and fermentation level before export-grade lots are retained and blended.
Aging: Dry cacao is stored in breathable jute bags for at least two months, then shipped in GrainPro-lined jute sacks.

Farm & Region Details

Estate: Costa Esmeraldas Cacao Co.
Family: Salazar family — Fredy, Monica, Freddy, and Indira Salazar.
Region: Near Tonchigue, Esmeraldas province, Ecuador.
Farm size: Approximately 130 hectares.
Variety: Ecuadorian Nacional material, including expanded plantings of older heirloom Nacional clones that are no longer widely grown. Current plantings include EET-19, EET-48, and EET-62.
Harvest season: Typically June to February, with peak harvest from July through September.
Bean characteristics: Large, uniform, exceptionally clean red-brown beans; about 70–71 beans per 100 g in cited source data.
Recognition: Costa Esmeraldas was listed among the Cocoa of Excellence 2019 Best 50, and its 2025 CoEx sample was identified as Nacional genetic origin.