Peru Finca Tasta Honey Processed Crown Jewel

Intro

This batch of single origin Peruvian Coffee comes to us from Finca Tasta, a family owned farm in the community of Challhuamayo within the district of Laylla in the province of Satipo within the Junin region, Peru.
Finca is run by siblings Edith and Ivan. The farm was their late mother's project, and the two have since taken over operations. In the last handful of years they've refined their "Honey" processing methods and expanded their operations, and hope to become a beacon of specialty coffee and sustainability.

Edith and her brother Ivan are leading by example, focusing on sustainability and independence by diversifying crops beyond just coffee to include food for themselves and their workers. They harvest three varieties of plantains, yucca, beans, corn, tomatoes, pine trees, sugarcane. This year they are planting raspberries, blackberries, and pumpkins.

Roast

We roasted this batch of Peruvian Finca Tasta to a medium roast. Depending on the grind and brewing method, this Peruvian Crown Jewel can produce notes of almond, citrus and dark caramel.

Brewing

As with most Top-Shelf coffees, we suggest using the pour-over method to maximized the aroma and flavor of this Crown Jewel coffee using a 1:16 coffee to water ratio with the water between 200F and 205F. Once grounds are placed in the filter, pre-soak grounds by covering with water for ~30sec to allow for blooming, then finish with either a steady pour or a couple of short pours to complete the brewing process.

Brew Observations / Analysis

Brew Analysis by Nate Lumpkin, Royal Coffee

After getting the chance to cup this coffee’s Ikawa roasts, I knew I was in for a bright and juicy pour over, so I was excited to see what this coffee had to offer! I went for a simple pairing of the Hario v60 and the Fellow Stagg, two devices that I know both make a delicious cup, but often with different results. For both brews I used a dose of 20g and 300g of brew water.

The Hario v60 brewed through at 2:50, and produced notes of apple cider, mandarin orange, and peanut butter, with a creamy body and milk chocolate finish. I found this cup bright and sparkling, with a mandarin orange and grape acidity. Others tastes notes of white chocolate, apple pie, and doughnut, like a spice winter pastry.

The Fellow Stagg brewed through a little faster, at 2:22, which isn’t typically what I expect for the Stagg, but did push the extraction a little higher than the v60. In the cup, the Stagg produced notes of tangerine, sweet orange, cinnamon, and brown sugar, with a buttery body and a milk chocolate finish. Others noted flavors of peanut butter candy, cinnamon bun, cloves, and almonds. This was a slightly heavier cup, with some darker caramel flavors, and a little less of that sparkling acidity, but still with those signature citrus notes.

I’m happy to report both of these brews were really delicious! If you’re looking for something a little heavier, try a brew style like the Stagg, and for something a little brighter and cleaner, try a conical filter like the v60.

Producer Background

Peru Satipo Finca Tasta Honey is sourced from Finca Tasta, a family owned operation located in the community of Challhuamayo within the district of Laylla in the province of Satipo within the Junin region, Peru. Finca Tasta is owned and operated by two young siblings, Edith and Ivan Meza Sagarvinaga. Finca Tasta is a 56-acre estate with 19 acres cultivated with coffee and 22 acres are natural preserved forest. Edith and Ivan are second generation coffee producers and started farming specialty coffee only eight years ago.

Edith is an active member of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) in Peru. A few years ago, the International Trade Centre (ITC) awarded Edith with the opportunity to visit Seattle during the Specialty Coffee Expo to be part of B2B meetings where Edith met coffee professionals and learned about Specialty Coffee and the marketing.

Finca Tasta has become a major source of employment for people from Challhuamayo. The farm employs 6 people on a permanent basis and 36 people during the harvesting months. In addition to coffee, Edith and Ivan produce plantains, yucca, tomatoes, sugarcane, raspberries, and pumpkins. Finca Tasta’s goal for the future is to continue to experiment with coffee processing to diversify their coffee offerings. Edith and Ivan want to be self-sustainable while making sure they take care of the environment and the people living nearby.