There are few coffee pros as serious about their craft as Efrain Salvador Carhuallocllo, producer of the award-winning “Corazón” coffee in San Ignacio, Peru. His uncompromising attention to detail throughout the process is there each time you take a sip of this coffee. The Yellow Caturra variety he grows gives the beans a tropical juiciness and the elevation adds a lively complexity. Efrain also came in second place at the first-ever Peru Cup of Excellence Competition — competing against hundreds of other coffees.

While you can now taste Efrain’s intention and the excellent terroir in which it was grown today, that wasn’t always the case. A few years ago, Efrain’s coffee — and all of his neighbors — was bulked and blended together as one. The good, the bad, and the ugly were all mixed together for an average tasting coffee. All the farmers received the same low price. Efrain, a third-generation coffee producer, was still compelled to do great work and give it his best. When our team first visited the area in 2016, we had the chance to taste some of his coffee before it was blended with the other farmers’. We were stunned. The flavors of Corazón were outstanding. Since then, Efrain has become a dear partner to us — and a leader in his community. As word is getting out about San Ignacio’s great coffee, Efrain has been assisting other farmers so they can produce great quality coffee and, for the first time, receive a sustainable profit for their hard work..

We’re happy to have met Efrain and to share Corazón with you. The notes you can expect in this Peruvian coffee this year are milk chocolate, dates, peach, and sweetness.