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Beans: Caturra Amarilla, single origin.
Shop: The Coffee Road, Lima
As you might have noticed I like my Peruvian coffee. The thing is that Peru has several climate zones that make for excellent coffee with a lot of different varieties. Today the coffee that I will review is Caturra Amarilla.
Caturra Amarilla: Background Information
The Caturra Amarilla is actually a hybrid plant made from the Brazilian “Bourbón” plant. It was introduced to Peru by the Estación Experimental de Tingo María in 1950. The Caturra Amarilla is a fairly small plant but has a high productivity and is very resilient when it comes to weather influences. Its fruits are small compared to e.g. the Typica plant, which is widely used.
Caturra Amarilla: Opening the package
When opening the package a soft sweet smell comes forth. It takes a couple of sniffs before you really appreciate the scent coming from the beans. It reminds me of caramel and even a hint of chocolate. I pour a couple of the beans in my hand and I see small light roasted beans.
Caturra Amarilla: The Tasting
I grind the full 18 grams of coffee and put it in my portafilter. As soon as I start brewing I see a thick syrup extract from the beans. The extraction looks thick and my heart skips a beat as I know this going to be a good espresso on my first try. Usually it takes a brew or two to get the grind just right. After 25 seconds I stop the brewing and sniff; a soft scent brings met the aroma of anise and licorice. Since I am Dutch, licorice is something of a treat to me! I take my first sip and I am pleasantly surprised: the first thing I notice is the thickness of the espresso and the crema. They blend well and the mouthfeel is full and rich.
There is medium to high acidity in the Caturra Amarilla and the coffee gives of amazing flavours and aroma. Everything in this coffee reminds me of anise and licorice. When you buy this coffee I recommend you to take a sip and let it go through your mouth. Swallow it and then breath out with your mouth closed. It sounds weird, but the explosion of licorice that you will experience will blow your mind.
Even after five minutes I can still taste coffee in my mouth. The I am disappointed in myself for not buying 500 grams of this coffee!
As a latte-based drink this beans does very well. The sweetness and licorice go well with the milk but just don’t expect to make great latte-art with the crema. Your will find plenty of crema on top of your cappuccino but the colour of the crema just isn’t that dark.
Caturra Amarilla: The verdict.
The Caturra Amarilla from The Coffee Road is one of those beans that you want to keep tasting over and over. Its a delicious coffee with a sweet outspoken taste of licorice and anise. The light roast is a great way of processing this bean and it really makes the tastes come out good. The coffee gives off a great pallet of flavours and aroma’s. If you have got the chance of buying the Caturra Amarilla at The Coffee Road, go buy it now!
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