ESPRECHELON - our seasonal, single-origin house espresso ///

Origin - Peru

Region - Perlamayo, Huabal

Process - Washed

Producer - Emma Rioja, Finca La Guaba

Altitude - 1877m

Variety - Caturra

Tasting notes - Tangerine, plum, honey

Suggested espresso recipe - 18g in / 37g out / 35s

Our third espresso-specific coffee is a washed Caturra from Emma Rioja at Finca La Guaba in the district of Huabal, Peru.

The Rioja family runs a coffee farm called La Guaba located in Perlamayo, Peru at an altitude of 1877 meters. The farm has been in the Rioja family for generations and is currently run by Emma Rioja Tarrillo.

The Riojas grow several coffee varieties on their 1 hectare farm including Caturra, Nacional and Costa Rica. This harvest they yielded about 4000 kg of green coffee with the help of 5 employees.

The Riojas use traditional cultivation methods on their farm. They do manual and mechanical weeding and pruning to rejuvenate the plants, with no chemical fertilisers used.

For processing, Emma harvests only the ripest cherries by hand. The cherries are left to rest in black sacks under shade for 24 hours before pulping. After pulping, the beans are left to ferment in a tank for around 12 hours. The beans are then washed three times. Next they are dried outdoors on a tarp for a day before being moved to patios to finish drying over approximately 15 days. Emma turns the beans 6 times a day during patio drying.

After drying, the green coffee is stored in black polyethylene sacks at the farm for 15-20 days before being exported.

The Riojas face challenges from climate change, pests and diseases threatening production. But they remain dedicated to sustainably producing high quality specialty coffee at their family farm.