Peru La Palestina: Sample Coffee Roasters

Peru
La Palestina

Jose has owned his farm La Palestina since 1990 but this just his second harvest of the prized Gesha varietal. We taste Earl Grey, apricot, and white nectarine.

Washed process Gesha

Flavour: Earl Grey, apricot and white nectarine

Body: Acidity:

Roast: omni (filter + espresso)

VERY SPECIAL

This is the second time this lot makes it to VS and, again, it’s a sensational representation of two variables colliding to create something beautiful. First is the varietal: Gesha. What is there to say that you don’t know already? It’s possibly the most reputable, known for its clean and elevated flavour profile. Second is the process: washed. Unlike the natural or other experimental approaches, a well-executed washed process respects the intrinsic fruit properties and elevates its flavour potential without adding any funky, crazy, ferment-like notes.

A FAMILY WITH A VISION

La Palestina is located near the village of El Triunfo in the San Jose de Alto district of Cajamarca, Peru. Previously cow pastures, Juan Alarcon Gonzales and Sobeida Coronel Martinez felt this land could have great potential for growing coffee, so in 1951, they purchased it and started to work in it.

Over the years, around 1990, the baton passed on to their sons Juan, Jose, and Annibal. The three agreed they could take the production to the next level and soon introduced a few changes to all systems and facilities, with a particular focus on elevating the quality and reducing their environmental impact.

Slowly but surely, they earned a reputation in Peru’s specialty coffee growing scene—a fact materialised with a spot within the top 20 producers of the 2019 Peruvian Cup Of Excellence.

ABOUT THIS LOT

This lot is made of Gesha varietal—the second batch ever produced at La Palestina. Until 2022, they concentrated on growing Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai and Catimor.

During this process, the cherry is mechanically pulped and dry/wet fermented for about 24 hours in plastic tanks. Then, it is washed and dried on a solar patio. All wastewater and mucilage are placed in a deposit in the ground, and raised pallets are used to avoid contact of parchment coffee with the floor.

ENJOY!

We’d love to hear how you go and about your thoughts on this VS coffee. And remember, you can always check our online brew guides and YouTube channel for guidance on several brewing methods—or simply send us any questions via email.

Sourcing and ingredients

100% Gesha coffee beans, provided by Condesa Co.Lab and roasted by us on Gadigal land / Sydney.

Country grade: Unknown ?

Packaging

Bag: ABA Certified home compostable
Label: Recyclable
Valve (on bags larger than 250g): General waste
Coffee ordered online is shipped in a recyclable cardboard box

Brewing this coffee

We recommend brewing this coffee 15–49 days post-roast. If pre-ground, brew as soon as possible. Our advice on storing coffee.

1:3
dose:yield
ratio

To brew on espresso, we recommend using 20g of beans (dose) to get 60g of espresso out (yield), during 24-28 seconds.

g dose

g yield

View the how to brew espresso (single origin) guide.

1:16.7
beans:water
ratio

To brew in infusion/fed brewers (V60, Chemex) use a ratio of 1:16.7 ratio of beans:water.

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:14.3
beans:water
ratio

To brew in immersion brewers (plunger, AeroPress, Kalita, batch brewer) we recommend using a 1:14.3 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:12
beans:water
ratio

To brew as cold brew we recommend using a 1:12 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

Producer: Jose Praxedes Alarcon Coronel
Country: Peru
Region: El Triunfo
Altitude: 1769m above sea level
Varietals: Gesha
Process: Washed
Body
Acidity
Tasting notes: Earl grey, apricot and white nectarine
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varietals

Gesha varietal

An exceptionally high quality variety that has grown in popularity, Gesha is named after the town of Gesha in Ethiopia where the seeds originated.

The location

Coffee from Peru

Peru is well suited to coffee cultivation and production, given its high altitude and climate.

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.