Your March 2022 Magic Seeds
We are super excited to introduce you to this month's Magic Seeds, a washed processed Caturra from Finca Ojo de Agua. We have plenty to say about that, but first let's take a look at our Daily Drinker.
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Your March Daily Drinker comes from the municipality of Chirinos, in Peru's Cajamarca region. It is a cherry-dried selection of multiple farms, each with their own combination of coffee varieties and processing influence. You should see similarities between your two coffees this month, as they both are from this same municipality. However, you will see a different level of flavor precision in the Magic Seeds, as it is a single producer lot from just one farm. You will also notice differences related to the processing methods used in each.
In the cup we first experience a lot of fruity flavors from being cherry-dried. Expect to find a ton of juicy berries, with a creamy mouthfeel, and a slightly boozy finish. There is also a complex chocolate note as it cools that reminds us of a rich chocolate ice cream.
Your Magic Seeds for this month come from Finca Ojo de Agua, owned by Roberto Herrera in the town of La Palma, part of the Chirinos municipality. Here he grows about 6,000 coffee plants, of the Caturra variety. We feel this coffee is an amazing example of what makes Caturra so great.
During harvest, Roberto only picks the ripest fruit to depulp each day. Once the pulp is removed, he allows the remaining fruit to ferment, without water, for 28-35 hours. Following this, he preforms three complete rinsing cycles with fresh, spring water. The coffee is then dried for 15-20 days in covered patios.
We had the opportunity to tour many farms in this area a few years ago and what stood out to us was the longer drying times found here compared to many other areas. The climate in this area is much more rainy than many other coffee growing regions and the air always feels at least a little damp. We've found that this elongates the last stage of drying and, as a result, we see coffee from here being a little more sweet and vibrant.
coffee parchment drying in covered patios
The Caturra variety is known for having red fruit characteristics, with citrus notes and a sweet foundation. This coffee lives up to those expectations and more. Right off the bat we're tasting pomegranate and currants. These flavors are supported with hints of floral and citrus that call to mind bergamot and vanilla cream. There is a slightly tannic and creamy sweetness underneath, reminiscent of English tea with a caramel and chocolate warmth. Cooling, the cup picks up notes of a peach berry cobbler.
Drinking this coffee, we are reminded of Earl Grey tea with vanilla cream paired with a buttery currant scone. If you ask us, that's not a bad way to start a cool spring morning.
We hope that you have loved this month's award winning Magic Seeds and look forward to sharing another exceptional experience with you next month.
image provided by Café Imports
