by At Beans and Burrs, we are amateur coffee lovers. We intend to write coffee reviews in a way that makes sense to regular coffee drinkers. All opinions expressed here are our own.
Thanks to Paula Lima of Abra Coffee for contacting us and offering free shipping on their coffee. She didn’t ask us to write a coffee review, but it was so good that we wanted to share. We chose to try their Peru, Perlamayo.
In their own words, Abra Coffee is an independent roastery based in Miami, Florida. Paula Lima, a third-generation coffee roaster and co-owner, manages the operations. She has spent years working with her family, managing a coffee farm in Brazil.
Abra Coffee offers choices from every corner of the world. Their sourcing process involves connecting with the closest person to the coffee plant. They work with coffee experts who help them reach the farmers directly to understand their farming practices.
They offer two coffee categories Old World and New World. Old World coffees come from Africa, the Middle East, and Asia and generally showcase more fruit-forward notes like citrus and berries. New World coffees are grown in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean and typically exhibit notes of chocolate and caramel.
The coffees of each category change every month, so you have the opportunity to try different coffee flavors from all over the world.
Meet Perlamayo, Peru coffee – New World
Profile: Medium Process: Washed Price: $18.50 for 12oz
In their words, these Fair Trade, organic beans were grown at La Piedra Grande finca. They washed the pulp and mucilage off before drying the beans, which yields a clean cup. The coffee exhibits a medium body, balanced sweetness, and muted acidity.
Now, the fun part, my coffee review!
First Impressions
The coffee arrived well packaged in a small card box. I like the clean, sharp design of the traditional brown bag with a nice simple sticker that contains only the essential information, with a displayed roast date. The beans were roasted only one week before the day I received the bag, which is at the perfect peak of freshness, ready to be enjoyed. An informative sheet about this specific coffee was in the box, some of which I used in this review.
Without surprise, the aroma when opening the bag is lovely: sweet and vibrant. The beans have a nice appearance. Before testing it, I have a feeling I will enjoy it.
French press
I first brewed it with a French press, following the same method that I shared earlier. Wow, this is delicious! Immediately, I am hit by a duality between a nice comfortable nutty sweetness, reminding me of milk chocolate, combined with a fun brightness that makes me think of citrus but not sour lemons. They say Tangerine; I am not sure I would go that far, but citrusy fruits. There is a little (pleasant) bitterness, just the right amount. After a few sips, I am left with a sweet aftertaste.
It wants to play!
Overall I love this cup; this is a high-quality coffee that shines with the French press. It is worth the $18.50 price if you ask me.
Espresso
This coffee is not the type of coffee that I would typically purchase for espresso since I tend to prefer medium-dark roasts rather than medium roasts for this method but let us give it a try.
Without surprise, it is bright: acidity (but no sourness) hits first, immediately followed by a pleasant sweet rush. It is a citrusy acidity with some moderate bitterness. Bitterness is more present than the French press; that is expected. It reminds me a bit of the distortion you get when you play the music a little too loud. The aftertaste is like delicious dark chocolate.
Interestingly, the milk chocolate note I detected with the French press turned into dark chocolate with the espresso. The body is on the thin side, but it still works for an espresso. The crema is nice with some stripes. I would still say that espresso does not give it justice. It is too delicate for that, a bit like a lovely complex song played too loud where you lose some of the light notes in the distortions. However, don’t get me wrong, it is a DELICIOUS espresso. It’s just that the French press was playing it better and really capture its features. Did I mention that I love the aftertaste?
Pour-over
The following day, I tried it with my Bodum pour-over carafe, using a paper filter. It is a nice clean, bright cup. Very balanced. Compared to the French Press, the vibrant and bright character takes the central stage. A nice clean, crisp, citrusy acidity coated in a measured sweetness with some nutty tones. It is slightly bitter but in a pleasant way. It is an excellent cup of coffee, but the pour-over does not let the dual character (bright and sweet at the same time) shine as much as with the French press.
Moka pot
Last, I decided to try it as a Moka pot, and I must say that the result surprised me here: rich milk chocolate, nice body, a nice hint of citrus brightness. It turned different than the “dual character” I had with the French press, but it was equally delicious. I must say that rediscovering the Moka pot and trying it with different beans is a fun experiment. I am not too fond of every coffee with it, but this one works.
The bottom line
I love it. The issue is that you cannot buy it from Abra Coffee at this moment. So what is the point of writing a review, you might ask? After trying the quality of this coffee from Abra Coffee, I can tell you that this roaster cares about quality. I would try more of their products. And if this Peruvian coffee comes back on their selection, it is worth trying.
