It was so much fun to see all those Peregrine bags get packed up and out the door in the holiday rush. Now it’s fun anticipating all the new beans coming in to take their place. Expecting several new single-origins this week so stay tuned!
Bespoke coffee means single origin or single estate coffee personally selected for our clients to match their palate and custom roasted for their sole use, and is the process through which we guide our customers to their ideal cup. We work only with single origin or single estate coffee rather than blends. We focus on the beans that are the best representation of the countries, regions and, in the case of single estate beans, farms and farmers, and are, in many ways, not unlike fine wines. Peregrine Coffee then acts as Coffee Sommeliers, matching our client’s flavors preferences to the flavor profiles of the beans. We purchase the recommended green beans for our clients from wholesalers or directly from small farms around the world, store them at our roast shop, roast in tiny batches for their use alone, hand-bag and label, and ship within hours of roasting to ensure all the nuances of flavor are present in a truly fresh cup of coffee.
This unique organic peaberry from Café Cascada starts with an elegant combination of aromas of fruit and nuts. Once in the cup, the flavors include cocoa, a mix of tart and sweet cherries, nut meat, malt, and subtle hints of spice and herbs. The mouthfeel has a light and airy texture and is perfectly balanced, reminding one of chiffon. Although not overtly acidic, a welcome brightness emerges as it cools. The finish is long with cocoa and tart cherry tones. This is a superb, very well balanced coffee.
Importer comments: Sweet chocolate, black cherry, sugar cane, dried stone fruit, syrupy mouth feel, clean, syrah wine, pecans, malt.
This curious coffee begins with the aroma of sweet herbs layered with an earthy combination of nuts, meat and roots. The main flavor characteristics are deep, dark and savory, starting with bittersweet, dark chocolate. One particularly unique tone that comes through is licorice. The mouthfeel is dry and comes across as tight and compact. The hints of cinnamon, a little clove, and dark savory herbs follow through to the finish. This coffee improves greatly as it cools and is superb at room temperature.
El Salvador Finca Malacara
2008 Cup of Excellence #5
Roberto Dumont Alvarez (Chantuc, S.A. de C.V.)
Malacara Lote “B”
The first sniff of these beans say “nuts and toffee.” Once brewed, there is a floral, sweet, tropical fruit aroma that continues into the cup. The complexity of flavors flawlessly moves from one note to another, with the most prominent being strawberry. This progresses to an orange citrusy acidity combined with pineapple and passion fruit. There is a brightness that is present throughout which is nicely balanced with a creamy mouthfeel. Most striking is the flavor transformation from hot to cold. The cup cools into rounder tones including caramel and milk chocolate. Very distinct toffee/caramelized sugar finish. This is an exceptional coffee.
Top Jury Descriptions: citrus aroma (9), very clean and sweet (15), floral (12), tropical fruit (11), strawberry (10), sugar cane (7), peach (7), berry (7), chocolate (6), caramel (5), creamy (10), delicate (8), complex (12)
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Overview from Cup of Excellence
The history of this farm goes back to the beginning of last century with the Álvarez Prunera family’s great-grandfather. On its 49 hectares today, the average age of coffee trees is 40 years, with densities of 3,500 trees per hectare and yielding some 25 quintals per hectare.
For third year in a row Malacara “B” achieved an award in the COE event. In the COE event in 2006 it placed 13th, in 2007 it ranked 20th and now in 2008 it has jumped to 5th place. With these awards won in a row, Malacara “B” shows the high quality of coffee that the estate produces.
The Alvarez family association, Chantuc S.A., helps support a school and a health center within the farm that was originally donated by the first Malacara’s owners. This farm is planted with 95% Bourbon and 5% Pacas on a sandy-loam soil. Harvesting usually takes place between January and March, while flowering goes from April through May. The shade canopy is mainly made up of Ingas and mountain trees such as cedar, walnut, gravileo and avocado, among others.
There are two stories regarding the origin of the name of this farm: one says that “Malacara” was named after one local chief who lived in the area and who was known as the “Cacique Malacara”. The other talks about the relation between the farm appearance when Rafael Álvarez (grandfather of Francisco Arturo) bought it, and the face expression that his friends made when they saw the farm for the first time. The story told that it was so chaotic that everyone gave no hope on the farm and everybody made an “ugly face” or “Mala-Cara” because they imagined how difficult would be to establish a coffee farm there.