PBC | Peru Cusco Regional Blend
Cold Brew Bold Profile | Medium-dark roast
Tasting Notes: Chocolate Mousse, Caramel, Roasted Nuts
IT ALL STARTS AT THE COFFEE FARM
This Extra Bold profile is a blend of two delicious coffees from the Cusco region of Peru. The first part of the blend was grown, harvested and processed by the 101 coffee farmers of the Valle Inca producer's group in the Yanatile Valley. The other, which we previously roasted under the name Siete Tinajas, was grown directly east, across part of the Andes near Quillabamba, and is made up of many lots from smallholder farmers.
Peru has a lot of land that spans from north to south as well as many microclimates due to the Andes Mountains. This makes for many distinct growing regions which each produce coffees with unique flavors. Cusco is a region known for coffees with a particularly light and structured flavor compared to coffees from Cajamarca to the north, which can have more heavy and dense flavors.
Nestled in the Yanatile Valley, the Valle Inca producer’s group is comprised of 101 coffee farmers. It was founded by Prudencio Vargas Saenz, who currently runs the group. He buys parchment from farmers, reinvesting premiums in the community’s infrastructure to help them continue to improve quality.
Our importing partner, Red Fox Coffee Merchants, has an incredible amount of traceability for this lot. As you can see from the select photos, they were able to tour individual farms and document the care taken with the coffee trees, as well as the coffee fruit processing.
We obtained the other part of this blend, the Siete Tinajas coffee, from our importer parter Caravela. This coffee is made up of many lots from smallholder farmers situated around the municipality Convencion, high in the Andes mountains in Quillabamba, Cusco. It grows at altitudes reaching 2,050 meters above sea level - this elevation isn't generally common for coffee growing in Peru, but the unique microclimate of the area makes it possible. Lots were selected to blend for this coffee by Caravela Coffee’s Lab in Lima, Peru.
TRACEABILITY
COUNTRY
Peru
PRODUCER
Various smallholders & Valle Inca producer group
REGION
Cusco
VARIETAL
Typica, Bourbon, Caturra
PROCESSING
Washed
ALTITUDE
1450 - 2100 meters
IMPORTER
Caravela & Red Fox
DID YOU KNOW
There are more than 110,000 coffee growers in Peru, most of whom are indigenous and speak Spanish as a second language.
PRICE TRANSPARENCY
$3.58
Price paid by Driftaway
$1.40
Fair Trade price per pound
$2.26
Coffee C-Market price per pound
$0.05
Driftaway's World Coffee Research contribution per pound
WHY DID WE SELECT THIS COFFEE?
Peru’s varied microclimates are due in large part to the Andes Mountains. The weather can be very different from one side of the Andes to the other, as well as the air flow and the way the sunlight reaches the plants: all of this creates unique flavors in the coffee from the Cusco region, and as a medium-dark roast, gives us lovely smoked caramel sweetness and chocolate.
AVERAGE CUPPING SCORE
86
/100
86
SCAA Cupping Score
35 & 29 x 70 kg
Bags purchased
1, 2 years
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2022)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from 22nd May to 15th June in Brooklyn. We use the Loring Kestrel roaster for this profile. We have strict guidelines for each of the coffee profiles, and this roast has to pass the development time ratio test as measured in real-time by the roasting software, Cropster. Once it does, it is approved for production.
QUALITY CONTROL
We perform Quality Control via a process of coffee tasting called cupping on all of our production roasts twice a week at our facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Cupping is attended by Q-certified cupper Ian T., roaster Dave H.and founder Suyog M. All coffees are evaluated on a scoring scale of 0 to 3.
- 3.0 = exceptional roast - exceeds expectations
- 2.5 = on par with profile - matches expectations
- 2.0 = good roast, but 1 or 2 elements could be improved - needs improvement
- 1.5 or lower = failed - do not ship
AT YOUR HOME
Brew this coffee with your favorite home brewer and enjoy the taste of incredible coffee! Here are a few tips on how to make the best coffee on each brewer.
View other posts about how to make better coffee at home on our blog Coffeecademy.