July 2012’s pick

Peru Grade 1 Yanesha

A coffee with history: certified organic and grown in the Peruvian highland jungle by the Yanesha Indians.

Every coffee comes with a story, but for us, the effort and tradition behind this organic Peruvian coffee make it stand out. From cultivation to conquest to cultural preservation, Peru’s coffee growers have had to work harder than most to get their coffee to market. We think the result is worth it.

Our coffee experts’ personal verdicts

Jim, 35 years in the coffee trade
“So delicate but at the same time with bags of flavour, this is a sensational coffee with zingy acidity – ideal for your morning fix. I like this as an espresso too, but be warned: the acidity is not for the faint of heart!”

Geoff, 35 years in the coffee trade
“Yanesha and Ceviche – raw fish in lime juice and chilli – both wonderfully acidic and both subject to debate about origin. I believe Ferran Adria (the world’s greatest chef in my opinion) when he says “Ceviche was born in Peru and so the authentic and genuine Ceviche is Peruvian.” Our coffee is from the founder members of the Yanesha Project and I think Ferran would agree; that makes it the authentic Yanesha. Sorry Jim, but I think it loses some of its subtle flavour as an espresso.”

The Peruvian coffee story

Peru’s economy and infrastructure aren’t as developed as many of the other countries we source coffee from. Harvesting, hauling, processing… it’s all a little more difficult here. But the story is bigger than that. Peru’s punishing weather patterns and devastatingly vertical geography mean farmers have to work – and have always had to work – that much harder to coax a livelihood from the earth.

The Incas transformed this land inch by inch, carving countless terraces into the Andean slopes and re-routing rivers to sustain the farmlands that would in turn sustain them. The Incas cultivated a greater variety of edible and medicinal plants than any other culture anywhere in the world – and they did it with bronze tools and bare hands.

The Yaneshas: a future in coffee

The Yanesha Indians are the founders of the Yanesha Coffee Project, a three-year-old operation designed to create jobs, prevent environmental degradation and preserve a fragile culture (it is estimated there are just 7,000 native speakers of Yanesha left). It’s a big mission for a very small operation: the coffee you’re drinking comes from one of just four containers sold each year.

It’s worth noting that while there are a number of Peruvian coffees called Yanesha, this is the real deal, certified organic and responsibly grown in the Peruvian highland jungle by the Yanesha Indians.

Guano? Not so crazy after all

Growing tomorrow’s coffee on yesterday’s terraces, perhaps it’s no surprise that Peruvian coffee growers have held onto many traditional agricultural practices. The use of guano (yes, THAT guano) is one of them.

In order to be certified organic, coffee beans must be grown without the use of pesticides or herbicides. The Incas harvested nitrogen- and phosphorous-rich guano on the coast and hauled it up to the highlands to fertilise terraced crops (guano is actually odourless, so the trek probably wasn’t as bad as it sounds). The practice worked then and it’s still working today – so much so that Peru is the world’s second-largest producer of organic coffee.

Tasting notes

This is a medium roast coffee with a gorgeous range of aromas that reflects its jungle heritage. See if you can smell sawn oak and a trace of stem ginger in the dry aroma, then after brewing look for caramel and honeysuckle, followed by just a hint of pear.

Yanesha has a soft, velvety texture and a delicate acidity – it makes a perfect morning coffee. The taste, like the aroma, betrays a jungle heritage: a sweet note of brazil nut and a pronounced orange acidity.