Pamela is originally from Peru, so it is no surprise that she knows where to find the best coffee that Peru has to offer. On one of her visits back to Peru she met with farmers to learn their stories and find the best coffee to bring to Helsinki to be locally roasted by us. Pamela found two farms in Chirinos, a district in the province of San Ignacio and one of the most well-known areas for quality coffee in Peru.
Chirinos is well connected to nearby cities, with new roads and a thriving town, which serves as a hub for coffee buying and trade. Whilst the coffee landscape in Chirinos is still dominated by middlemen and FTO certifications, there is a growing interest in specialty coffee and some of the biggest cooperatives in the area have been promoting quality for a number of years. However, for those producers that aren’t members of co-ops, of which there are many, there is still little access to market and little support to invest in their farms and improve quality.
There are a number of villages across Chirinos which have ideal growing conditions for coffee, with altitudes above 1700 meters above sea level. Many producers still have old pure Arabica varieties. There is huge potential for quality improvement in Chirinos. With small changes and investments producers can escape low market prices which rarely cover the cost of production and find a market for their coffee that pays well above the market with quality incentives.
Efrain
Efrain Carhuallocllo Salvador is one farmer in Chirinos district. He owns 4 hectares of land in El Corazon village. Efrain is one of the most innovative producers in all of Peru and his farm and wet mill are run with extreme care and precision. But you don’t have to take our word for it, Efrain competed in the very first Cup of Excellence competition in Peru and placed 2nd, and many consider his to be the best coffee of that competition, even though it didn't win. Prior to and since competing in Cup of Excellence, Efrain has won several local and national competitions and is most likely the most decorated producer in Peru.
With extreme care and procession, Efrain grows Caturra (yellow and red) and Geisha varieties. His overall production for 2022 was 147 quintales (that is almost 15.000 kilos) of washed and naturals. After Efrain’s coffee is harvested it is rested for 48 hours as cherries. Then it gets depulped and goes in plastic bags for 72 hours to ferment. Following fermentation it is washed and dried. Then great care is taken during the drying process, making sure the coffee is dried slowly and evenly for better longevity. Efrain uses probes in the drying area to measure temperature and humidity. It usually takes around 15 days for the coffee beans to fully dry.
Our Peru Efrain Carhuallocllo is a full bodied coffee tasting of lemon, peach, and dark chocolate with a sweet almond brittle finish.
Roast: Light 2/5
Roast profile: Filter
Origin: Chirinos, Cajamarca, Peru
Altitude: 1700 m
Varietal: Arabica (Yellow and red Caturra)
Process: Washed
Cup score: 86
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EFRAIN CARHUALLOCLLO
Eli
During her visit Pamela fell in love with the taste of coffee that Eli had produced the moment she first tasted it. Eli is another farmer in the Chirinos region and owns a coffee farm near the village Las Pirias. The farm is 4 hectares and is located between 1800 and 2000 meters above sea level. Pamela was not only impressed by the taste of Eli’s coffee but also by the effort Eli puts into cultivating and processing high quality coffee.
Eli is in a partnership with Falcon Coffee Peru. Falcon Coffee Peru selects farmers based on their potential and willingness to produce outstanding qualities. Falcon offers training and financial incentive for farmers to produce high quality coffee. Helping farmers in the Chirinos region produce high quality coffee.
At Eli’s farm, coffee cherries are selectively handpicked. The coffee cherries are then washed and floated, before undergoing a skin drying process. The skin drying process happens under shade and lasts for a full day. The coffee is then moved to a solar drying tent, where it is dried under controlled conditions for 45 days.
Our Peru Eli Espinoza Soberon is a juicy coffee with notes of passion fruit, dark chocolate and strawberry.
Roast: Light 1/5
Roast profile: Filter
Origin: Chirinos, Cajamarca, Peru
Altitude: 1800 - 2000 m
Varietal: Arabica (Caturra, Bourbon)
Process: Natural
Cup score: 87.25
These two coffees are grown in the same region, basically neighbours, but each has its own unique flavour profile. It is quite astonishing how coffee grown so close together can taste so different. It is with the farmers' hard work and individual processes that make it possible for these quality coffees to taste so unique and different.
