Rare Origin: Tour 2 (Peru-Peru-Peru)
1st Stop: Peru Santa Maria Cesar Sampertegui - Double Fermented & Honey Processed - Organic Microlot
Starts Shipping March 1st 2021, while supplies last
(pre-order to reserve)
Cupping notes: Pineapple/Cranberry/Guava/Brown Sugar
Grower: Cesar Sampertegui Hurtado | Bosques de Huamantanga Farm
Variety: Yellow Caturra, Typica
Region: Santa Maria, Jaén, Cajamarca
Altitude: 2000 meters
Process: Honey Process: Cherries floated and ripened for 24 hours before depulping, fermenting for 12 hours and drying for 20 days
Certifications: Organic
The farmer, César Sampertegui, harvested and processed this micro-lot on his 12 acre farm called Bosques de Huamantanga located near the community of Santa Maria in Jaén. Sampertegui has created what you could potentially call “mixed” or “double” fermented which has been dried in the parchment with some mucilage.
César’s coffee cherries are picked and floated in water to rinse and to remove low density fruit. They are then moved to a shaded cement tank which is covered with a plastic tarp for 24 hours. After this “fermentation in cherry,” the coffee is depulped on César’s small motorized depulper and then placed in an aluminum tank for an additional 12 hours of “fermentation.” Finally, this lightly macerated pulpy parchment is dried for approximately 20 days.
Admittedly, calling this a “honey process” doesn’t quite do justice to the complexity of the process. But then, you could argue the same about the terms “washed” or “natural” and even “fermented.” All this broad categorical jargon is reductive by nature. And so we’ve settled on a single term with the unwritten asterisk: read the fine print on the process. In fact, this is probably good advice no matter what coffee you are interested in: get to know it and the people and processes behind it.
management and post-harvest solutions to fit his needs, he also has a strong alliance to bring his coffee to the international market and earn fair prices. He started working with Aroma del Valle, an organization established to assist producers access to the specialty coffee market. With the help of Aroma del Valle, Cesar and his wife have been able to pay for their two children to attend school.Lest you think César’s processing method sounds like an unvetted experiment, Sampertegui has a counterargument. Coffee from his farm placed 17th in this year’s Cup of Excellence in Peru, no small feat.
2nd Stop: Peru Verde Kiwa Salvador Cruz - Fermented & Washed, Dried Raised Bed - Organic Microlot
Starts Shipping April 1st 2021, while supplies last
(pre-order to reserve)
Cupping notes: Lime/Caramel/Sweet Tomato
Grower: Salvador Cruz Rimarachin | Finca El Duende
Variety: Yellow Caturra, Mundo Novo, and Typica
Region: Verde Kiwa, Huarango, San Ignacio, Cajamarca
Altitude: 1850 meters
Process: Fully washed after pulping & fermenting, dried on raised beds in the sun
Certifications: Organic
This Cajamarca is delicious evidence of the potentials from Peruvian high grown coffee. Bright and zesty with citrusy acids jumping off the palate, it’s a dense cup with a lot of character. Orange and lime notes meet a mild savory herb and tomato profile. Its caramel sweetness accompanies a silky body and super clean finish.
The farmer, Salvador Cruz Rimarachin, says that his favorite part of the coffee business is watching the morning mist lift from his farm, which leaves a glistening blanket of moisture on the coffee trees.
He harvested and processed this micro-lot on his 8.5 acre farm called El Duende located near the community of San Ignacio in the Cajamarca region. Salvador has his own micro-mill where carefully harvested cherries are depulped, fermented, washed to remove the mucilage, and then gently dried on raised beds over a period of 18 days. While Salvador has designed farm management and post-harvest solutions to fit his needs, he also has a strong alliance to bring his coffee to the international market and earn fair prices. He started working with Aroma del Valle, an organization established to assist producers access to the specialty coffee market. With the help of Aroma del Valle, Salvador has been able to pay for his 4 children to attend school.
3rd Stop: Peru Challhuamayo Finca Tasta - Non-Fermented & Honey Processed, Parabolic Dried - Microlot
Starts Shipping May 1st 2021, while supplies last
(pre-order to reserve)
Cupping notes: Apple Cider/Tangerine/Peanut Butter/Clove
Grower: Edith Meza Sagarvinaga & Ivan Meza Sagarvinaga, Finca Tasta
Variety: Caturra
Region: Challhuamayo community, Laylla district, Satipo province, Junín region
Altitude: 1450-1600 meters
Process: Honey Process: pulped without fermenting and dried under parabolic dryers that provide protection from rain
Finca Tasta is located in Peru’s central forest and is run by siblings Edith and Ivan. The farm was their late mother’s project, and the two have since taken over operations. In the last handful of years they’ve refined their processing methods and expanded their operations, and hope to become a beacon of specialty coffee and sustainability.
Edith and her brother Ivan are leading by example, focusing on sustainability and independence by diversifying crops beyond just coffee to include food for themselves and their workers. They harvest three varieties of plantains, yucca, beans, corn, tomatoes, pine trees, sugarcane. This year they are planting raspberries, blackberries, and pumpkins.
They hope to inspire other farmers to move away from monoculture and back towards a model of truly sustainable agriculture. Their commitment to environmental protection is runs so deep that they leave nine of their twenty-three hectares of land completely wild to protect native animals like deer, monkeys, and native birds. They also include a deer and a tree in their logo as a symbol of their dedication to the creatures and ecosystems they are committed to protecting.
Edith's passion is for continuing and improving the work of her mother and engaging with her community. She’s an active member of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance and has set up outreach events locally to engage residents in and around Challhuamayo with activities like specialty coffee workshops.
