Last fall, we were lucky to take part in a first of its kind grassroots competition for high end Peruvian microlots. The competition was called Atipanaku, which is Quechua for “competition”, and it was conceived of by a group of Peruvian coffee producers. They wanted a way to recognize producers that were making excellent coffees, but at very small volumes that were sometimes lost in the mix with larger lots. The coffees went through a first round of cupping and then the top 20 were scored by Peruvian and international judges and sample sets were sent around the world for roasters to taste. Atipanaku culminated with an online auction that saw the first spot taking in an impressive $8.00/lb. The highest fetching lot was a natural process by producer Wilder Facundo that went for $9.50/lb.
The cupping notes for the Atipanaku coffees run the gamut from tropical fruits to berries to chocolate to vanilla to even a couple with savory umami notes. Not too common for Peru! La Minita imported the Atipanaku lots for the US and we bid on a couple that we loved and brought them in for spot sales. Info on these three coffees is below. Let us know if you would like a sample. And be sure to check out the beautiful photo gallery of the competing producers and their farms on the Atipanaku website.
Producer Felino Sánchez, GF20451, 3 bags (30 kg). Ranked 18th. Marshmallow, vanilla, cherries, peach, cinnamon, chocolate.
Producer Eli Román, GF20452, 3 bags (30 kg). Ranked 9th. Floral, pineapple, herbal, raspberry candies, currant, delicate.
Producer José Alvino Tejada, GF20453, 9 bags (30 kg). Ranked 17th. Umami, tomato, herbal, passion fruit, almond extract.
Stay tuned for more info on Atipanaku 2020!
