Peru: Irene Herrera - La Mandarina, Marshell, Washed

Origin

• 🇵🇪 Peru· Cajamarca

Tasting notes

Character

• Bright
  90
• Clean
  75
• Sweet
  25

Peru: Irene Herrera - La Mandarina, Marshell, WashedWashed processThe fruit is removed from the seed before drying, usually with fermentation and a water rinse. Tends to give clean, transparent cups where origin character shows clearly. This elegant cup opens with a burst of tangerine followed by strawberry fondants and a spoonful of brown sugar. As it finishes, there's a little lime juice and a delicate floral note too. This coffee stood out on a cuppingCuppingThe standardized tasting ritual — coarse grounds steeped in hot water, crust broken, slurped from a spoon — used to score and compare coffees. table of options we were looking at - all from Cajamarca in Peru - for it's elegance and clarity in the cup. We were cupping with the Origin Coffee Lab team, who export for us, and looking for something really tasty to get. When they shared the name of the producer with me - Irene Herrera - it was a light bulb moment. In 2022 I went to Peru for the first time, after we had purchased some coffees from there the year before. My first trip with Origin Coffee Lab - who I'm now lucky enough to know well - was to the La Coipa village. We walked past several coffee farms to have lunch at the house of head of Gallitos de Rocas comite, Milciades Minga - and his wife Irene Herrera! The couple's house is a little larger than some other nearby houses, maybe because Milciades is also a carpenter. The top floor is used for drying coffee, with living space and kitchen below. Guinea Pigs are kept inside in a pen - a staple food animal in Peru, known as Cuy (pronounced Coo-ee). Along with a big lunch by Irene, we had fruit punch made in a barrel by mixing fruit juice and the local cane sugar spirit Yonke. La Mandarina is behind the house and includes a small nursery of baby plants. As with many Cajamarca farms, it's a steep climb to the top and I was hard pressed to keep up with Irene! Traceability Country: Peru Region: La Coipa Producer: Irene Herrera Farm: La Mandarina Altitude: 1,750-2,000 m.a.s.l. VarietyVariety (cultivar)The botanical subtype of the coffee plant — Gesha, Bourbon, SL28 — analogous to grape varieties in wine. A major driver of cup character alongside origin and process.: Marshell Processing method: Washed Cupping Scores Tasting notesTasting notesThe flavors a roaster perceives in the cup — 'jasmine, apricot, black tea'. Descriptive associations, not ingredients: nothing is added to the coffee.: Tangerine, strawberry fondant, brown sugar . Cup of ExcellenceCup of Excellence (COE)A national competition and auction that identifies a country's best lots each year; winning 'COE' lots command dramatic price premiums. Cupping Scores Clean Cup: 6/8 Sweetness: 6.5/8 AcidityAcidityThe bright, lively, fruit-like sensation in coffee — praise, not a flaw. Citric sparkle, malic apple-crispness, tartaric wine notes; light roasts preserve more of it.: 6/8 MouthfeelBodyThe weight and texture of coffee in the mouth, from tea-like and delicate to syrupy and heavy. Driven by process, roast, variety, and brew method.: 6.5/8 Flavour: 6.5/8 Aftertaste: 6.5/8 Balance: 6.5/8 Overall: 6.5/8 Correction: (+36): +36 Total: 87/100 If