PERU EL CONJURO

Recommended Retail Price: £12/250g

Tasting Notes: The well structured acidity in this lot is the hallmark of a great Peruvian coffee. Bright top notes of crisp apple and Conference pear with a clean mouthfeel leading to chocolate in the finish.

Region: Jaen, Cajamarca
Altitude: 1,650-1950 m.a.s.l.
Variety: Catimor, Caturra, Bourbon
Processing: Washed

This is the coffee we use for milk-based espresso drinks on our coffee bar at Steampunk. It’s a regional blend of coffee grown by 20 producers in Jaen, Peru. Typical farms in Jaen average one to two hectares, so selective single-farm lots are quite small. We’ve roasted single-farmer lots from this region before, but this is an opportunity to spread our buying power and support more farmers through the purchase of a bigger lot. 

The farmers, many of whom belong to the third generation of coffee cultivators, grow high-quality varieties like Caturra and Bourbon, supported by the region's ideal microclimates and fertile soil. Over the last decade, these coffee growers have moved away from conventional farming methods, adopting sustainable practices that care for biodiversity and working collaboratively to improve quality.

The coffee harvest in Peru lasts from June to August. Cherries are harvested by hand, with family and neighbours helping one another during the busiest time. Once it’s picked it’s floated in water to separate ripe from unripe cherries and remove sticks and debris. Then the skin and fruit are removed with a de-pulper and the coffee is put either into sealed bags or open tanks to ferment for 36 to 48 hours, depending on the farm altitude (which will impact temperature). Fermenting the coffee is an important step in processing. It breaks down the remaining pulp on the seeds, making it easier to remove, but it also contributes significantly to the flavours in the final cup. After fermentation, the coffee is washed two to three times and then dried for up to 25 days.

Caravela, the importer who brought us this coffee, first worked with the original 12 producers whose coffee make up this blend 2019. Since then several more neighboring and family producers have joined. Caravela’s model of working with coffee-growing communities is one of the reasons we buy from them. They have a team of 40+ agronomists working on their Coffee Farmer Education Program (PECA). The PECA team provides training, technical advice and promotes responsible agricultural practices. The El Conjuro blend is the result of a connection between a Caravela PECA employee and a producer family in Jaen. The increase in the number of farmers wanting to be involved speaks to the positive impact of Caravela’s approach.