So excited to be working with the buds over at Yellow Rooster Coffee and Germán Carranza Barboza.

Germán is a 28 year old coffee producer, husband and father of two from the village of Gracias a Dios in the Amazonas Region of Peru. Some of my favorite Peruvian coffees have come from this region over the years… sweet raspberry and chocolate filled cups come to mind as macro profiles of the region. But, Germán is not only processing in an extremely detailed and modern way, but he is also growing some less common varieties for the area leading to a cup profile that grabbed my attention.

Germán hand picks cherries for washed, honey, and natural coffees which are driven by his farm ‘El Bebedero’ (which is a nod to the natural springs of water found in that area that supply the farm and animals) which sits between 1600-1700 MASL. Most of the trees on the farm are around 7 years old and really hitting their stride in terms of quality and yield. Germán is a young and up and coming producer who is experimenting with new fermentation styles paired with uncommon varieties for his region including, maragogipe, villasarchi, pink bourbon, marsellesa, gesha and more.

The coffee we are bringing you this month is of the bourbon, H1 and marsellesa varieties which were fermented in cherry in sealed plastic barrels for 144 hours which creates a low oxygen environment. The coffees are then pulped, washed, and dried on raised beds under shade for 20 days. Once dry, the coffee is bagged again and transported to the city of Jaén, where the co-op’s coffee is stored, analyzed and monitored for quality control.

So what’s in the cup? I get an overwhelmingly balanced cup profile that has a notable pointed citric / floral acidity from hot to cold. This bright cup is rounded out by intense red fruit sweetness and sugar browning foundational flavors. More specifically I get loud notes of dank tangerine, honeysuckle, and a deep cherry-like sweetness that is grounded by notes of pecan and milk chocolate. Don’t sleep on this perfect December sipper. This coffee possesses both excitement and comfort exactly where you want it.