Finca El Eucalipto - Peru

Finca El Eucalipto - Peru 

Blackberry, Peach Melba, Raspberry

Producer: Richard Cotrina
Country: Peru
Region: Portrero Grande, San Jose de Lourdes, Cajamarca
Variety: Bourbon

This washed microlot is sourced from Richard Cotrina's  Finca El Eucalipto, a small 2ha family farm in the community of Potrero Grande, Tabaconas. He is a member of the Aromas del Valle Co-operative in Cajamarca, from which we have also sourced Finca La Tuna.

Cajamarca is a large region in the north of Perú, including Jaén, San Ignacio, Cutervo , Santo Domingo and Hualgayoc. Our warehouse in the city of Jaén is surrounded by high altitude areas with a huge amount of good coffee, and an even greater amount of potential. The location of coffee within Perú can be a challenge for farmers and exporters alike, with much of the coffee grown up to 8 hours away from the nearest town where they might sell. This could be one of the influencing factors into why nearly all the coffee is home-processed and dried at farm-level, as it allows the farmer to retain more control over when to sell. If cherry, rather than parchment coffee, was being sold by the farmers they would have to sell on the day of harvest – regardless of the price that day, or their own personal need for finance at a particular time of the crop, for example if they had to purchase school equipment for their children.

The geographical challenges within Perú have traditionally meant coffee is often sold locally to a buyer in their community, transported a little closer and sold again, and this model repeated until it reaches its destination. This can be tricky as both traceability and quality can be lost on this journey, so we have been growing micro-buying stations closer to these communities we have identified as coffees with huge potential. We hope this benefits the farmers and communities in a number of ways, primarily that farmers receive a fair price for the coffee regardless of market conditions that day, and also it allows us to both learn from these communities, and train them in practices that might improve their coffee quality.

Ripe cherries are floated to further select the densest (highest quality) cherries for processing. The cherries are then fermented for 60 hours, then pulped and washed before being dried on raised African beds under solar drying tent. Drying takes an average of 15-18 days.

The Aromas del Valle co-operative have been providing training on fermentation in recent seasons as a way to increase cup complexity and the value added to farmers' coffee. The addition of the 60 hour in-cherry fermentation means this coffee is very different to the more traditionally washed Finca La Tuna lot. Eucalipto has lots more sweetness, mouthfeel, and just a hint of the boozy notes that would come from a fully naturally processed lot.

Grind: If you need your coffee ground, select on the dropdown. Let us know in the "Special Instructions" if there is any other specific brew method you need the coffee ground for.