TASTING NOTES

Coffee tasting notes for Jhonny Saavedra, Peru: caramel, mandarin orange, graham, fresh cherry, nougat, peach candy

COFFEE BACKGROUND FOR JHONNY SAAVEDRA, PERU

This coffee comes to us from exporter Origin Coffee Lab, with whom we’ve partnered for the last 4 years to purchase Peruvian coffees. Cupping for quality and taste profile leads the way in all that Origin does, and their work in Peru focuses on sustainability and building relationships — work that Blueprint is excited to support.

Our green buyer Cher was excited to visit Peru last year to meet with producers, visit Origin’s cupping lab, and observe their partnerships in action. Farmers deliver coffees to Origin’s purchasing points, where Origin evaluates each lot to assess its cup quality and flavor profile. Then Origin shares tasting notes, scores, and notes about milling loss with farmers. They make an offer for the lot, which the farmer usually accepts. Origin strives for a 2-hour turnaround for this entire process. Farmers are paid above market rate for their coffees, and when the cup quality increases, Origin increases its price premium. This process incentivizes continuous improvement.

Jhonny Saavedra and his wife, Cleotilde, graciously hosted Cher at their farm last year. The Saavedras do most of the work of processing coffees themselves. Cher observed their careful process of picking and sorting cherries before resting them in GrainPro bags overnight. Then they depulp the cherries and continue to process them in a tank with just enough water to cover them for an additional 12–16 hours. Finally, they wash any remaining mucilage off completely and dry the parchment on slightly raised drying beds. This process helps impart a clean, fruity quality to the coffee.

Jhonny shared that working with Origin has tangibly improved the family’s quality of life. The higher prices that Origin has paid Saavedras for their coffees allowed them to build a kitchen in their home last year. They have also invested back into the farm with their eyes on the future. They’ve built raised drying beds, started a nursery for new coffee plants, and are implementing new practices to increase coffee quality over time.