San Jose de Lourdes Peru by Neighbourhood Coffee Roasters

I have been tasting a lot of fruity coffees lately, including San Jose de Lourdes, a coffee roasted by Neighbourhood Coffee Roasters. As I was drinking this coffee, I was again reminded of blackcurrant juice, like the kind you would get from a diluted juice bottle mixed with water here in the UK.

I received a bag of San Jose de Lourdes, whose name on the bag is "Sip me baby one more time," in the latest Dog and Hat subscription box. The roaster, Neighbourhood, is the first speciality coffee roaster based in Liverpool, England. So far, I've had a number of cups of this coffee and I tried it twice on the cupping table. In all cases, I enjoyed the coffee.

Peru is well-known for its coffee production, being the fifth-largest producer of Arabica in the world according to Cafe Imports. The volume of Peru's coffee industry can be attributed in part to when the British government took ownership of some Peruvian land in lieu of money owed through a loan issued to Peru. Many people started coffee plantations, helping the industry to grow.

The dry grounds of this coffee reminded me of blackcurrant and maple syrup. When I was brewing this coffee, I got hints of blackcurrant and toffee and the word "sweet" popped into my mind. The toffee aroma distinguished this coffee from other coffees I have had in the past with a blackcurrant aroma.

From the first sip, I could tell blackcurrant was a key flavour in this coffee. Throughout the coffee, the blackcurrant flavour came back to me. This was accompanied by a light toffee flavour which was particularly prominent after the brew had cooled down a little bit.

This coffee has a clear sweetness and a delicate acidity to balance that sweetness, a characteristic I have come to find common in fruity coffees. I was left with a fruity taste on my mouth which lasted for a little while after drinking the coffee. Like I said at the start of this article, blackcurrant juice came to mind when I was drinking this coffee. Indeed, San Jose de Lourdes has a juicy body which goes with the blackcurrant flavour well. It is amazing how a coffee can remind you so clearly of a juice.

This coffee is not as complex as other fruity coffees I've had, a characteristic I think is nice especially for a morning brew. Lately, I've found simple coffees comforting, especially when I do not want to think about all of the flavours in my coffee; I sometimes just want to sip and enjoy. It seems the name of this coffee, "Sip me baby one more time," is indeed apt.

You can learn more about this coffee on the Neighbourhood Coffee Roasters website.

About This Coffee

Process: Washed

Varietal: Bourbon, Typica, Catimor, Caturra

Tastes: Blackcurrant, toffee