Saludos

Greetings from Lima Peru and Cafe Verde.

After 10 years of promoting and exporting Peruvian specialty coffee my wife and I have ventured into the challenging world of retailing fresh roasted specialty coffee. Cafe Verde is a coffee shop located in Miraflores Lima dedicated to serving the best Peruvian coffees here in Peru.

Compared to our friends abroad (Intelligentisa, Counter Culture, Times Club Japan, Ethical Bean, Sacred Grounds, Collective Coffee, Square Mile . . . ) we have one unique challenge, we are limited to strictly Peruvian coffees. Legally we cannot import green coffees from other origins. Strictly 100% washed Arabica for all we serve, including Espresso.

So the hunt is on: How do we find distinct coffees to fit into our line up, appropriate to serve to the most particular tasters of our time? In short cupping, cupping, cupping.

On my most recent trip to Jaen I had the chance to cup with my good friends Alex and Elias from CENFROCAFE. They've been producing the sweetest lemon candy coffees I've found in Peru. As far as washed arabica go, hands done there is no other producer in Peru equal to CENFROCAFE. I was completely surprised when my long time friend and coffee compadre Elias pulled out a Quintal of Semi-washed coffee to try . . . is this one of the answers to our espresso challenge?

The first espresso taste test proved to meet all my espresso mentor Kyle Glanville's expectations; big sweet cherry notes and pleasurable lingering mid chocolate aftertaste. As I write there are 5 kilos waiting to face the next line of roasting and sales to our public as our first "Espresso Selecto". The next 10 days will hopefully begin a new chapter in 100% Peruvian Semi-Washed Espresso . . .

Hasta Pronto