Corazón is located in the wet, cloudy, green slopes of northwestern Peru in the San Ignacio region. The four-hectare farm is owned and operated by Efrain Salvador Carhuallocllo, who we first began working with in 2016. Over the past few seasons, Efrain has become a leader in his community and his coffee has become the benchmark for quality throughout the region.

The journey to Efrain’s farm is a one-hour hike up the mountainside, with interchanges of expansive views and dense, moss-covered forest. Once at the top of El Cerro, it feels as if you are on top of the world. The farm is made up of mostly Yellow Caturra coffee, a variety that ripens to a golden yellow hue (rather than the typical dark red) and, when handled well, can deliver the most delightful tropical fruit punch flavor. The Yellow Caturra grows amongst wildflowers and is shaded by the diverse, native trees that spill into the farm from the neighboring forest that sits at cloud level with an elevation peaking over 2,000 meters.

Once harvested (perfectly golden and ripe!), the coffee is milled and dried next to Efrain’s home. The coffee receives 20-25 hours of fermentation in small, ceramic, cylindrical tanks before being washed by hand and then dried on a covered patio for 10-12 days. Efrain is a master of coffee processing. His style respects the fruit and highlights the brilliant terroir, delivering sublime flavor. In the cup, this is a heart-opening coffee, layered in thick tropical juiciness that finishes with fresh contemplative excitement.