NEW COFFEE ALERT: LA PALMA CHIRINOS, PERU.

We haven’t had a Peruvian coffee in at Garage for a little while, so we’ve all been awaiting this one with bated breath. The sharp, back-of-tongue grapefruit acidity makes for a delightful filter brew that’ll set your taste buds alight!

THE LOWDOWN

Process: Fully washed & dried on African beds

Varietal: Caturra, Mundo Novo, Pache, Typica, Caturra & Catimor

Altitude: 1750-1850m

Producers: El Santuario Association; La Palmera, Naranja, La Piña (the Pineapple) and Laurel farms

Tasting notes: Grapefruit, Pear and Cherry

La Palma Chirinos is produced by two young smallholder farmers, Ismael Alarcon Mirez & Leonilda Cotrina Herrera, both members of the El Santuario Association, who have farms close to the town of La Palma in the Cajamarca region. Ismael is 29 years old and has been coffee farming for most of his life. He is extremely dedicated to improving his understanding of coffee, sampling and cupping his crop regularly, to ensure its quality and its well-deserved place on the Specialty market. Because of this, he can support his mother and his younger brothers. Leonilda has three farms in the region, all named after the fruits she also grows, and is constantly passing her expert skill and knowledge onto her three children to ensure the long life of her crop. By producing such a high-quality crop, she is helping to give her children the education they deserve.

Both farms adhere to a strict schedule of harvesting and processing, with simple, yet tried and tested methods (Leonilda’s farms, at a slightly higher elevation, follow the schedules of Ismael’s by a month or so). Having recently joined the newly-founded Finca Santuario SA, both farms are supported by a small network of growers and coffee experts, forming a larger productive unit to aid with market access and consistent technical assistance. This technical assistance is especially important, as the region contains a diverse range of microclimates and high soil quality. All the farms of Finca Santuario SA are located in the Tabaconas – Namballe National Sanctuary, so place a huge importance on their environmental impact, conservation and biodiversity. Because of this, they adhere to strict organic processes to control plagues and soil fertility. For example, Finca Santuario SA aid Ismael and Leonilda in carefully timing fertilisation to combat the dreaded coffee leaf rust, a fungal infection that poses a huge danger to any coffee crop.

Ultimately, Santuario is aiding farmers like Ismael and Leonilda in one of the most ecologically diverse, but economically impoverished areas of Peru to find sustainable methods and markets for their coffee and improve their livelihoods by putting control into the hands of the farmers.

La Palma Chirinos is an awesome coffee with plenty and bite and sharpness that really lends itself well to the lighter filter methods. As an espresso, expect high acidity and a strong grapefruit flavour giving a sharp mouthfeel, with undertones of pear taking the edge off. With a V60, the notes of pear become more prominent, yet still allows that lovely high citrus note to linger on the back of the tongue. It’s a coffee for afternoons, hard work, and proper conversation.

As always, La Palma Chirinos is available to purchase from our shops in Canterbury and Whitstable, and can also be found on our online store !