Peru — José Manuel Silva El Zorro Yellow Caturra (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🫐 Blackberry • 🍦 Vanilla • 🌿 Clove

DETAILS

• Producer: José Manuel Silva
• Farm: El Zorro
• Region: Callayuc, Cutervo, Cajamarca, Peru
• Varietal: Yellow Caturra
• Process: Washed (48hr+ Fermentation)
• Altitude: 1,800 MASL
• Size: 250g

INTRO

From José Manuel Silva at the El Zorro farm in Callayuc — part of the El Zorro Project, an initiative born from trust, community, and the remarkable potential of one of Peru's most exciting and emerging coffee-growing areas. A washed Yellow Caturra of clean character and unexpected depth. In the cup: blackberry, vanilla, and clove.

THE PRODUCER

The El Zorro Project takes its name from a beloved community figure in the district of Callayuc, affectionately nicknamed "El Zorro" — The Fox — whose story helped build the trust and relationships between local farming families and the Cultivar team that made this project possible. Nestled in the mountains of northern Peru's Cajamarca region, Callayuc benefits from fertile soils, high elevations, and the abundant water that flows from the cloud forests of Cutervo — a landscape shaped by the Andes and protected by the Cutervo National Park.

José Manuel Silva represents the dedication of the farming families behind El Zorro: smallholder producers cultivating coffee amid rich biodiversity and breathtaking natural surroundings, committed to quality in one of Peru's most rapidly emerging specialty coffee districts.

Yellow Caturra — a natural mutation of the Bourbon-derived Caturra first identified in Brazil — has been a reliable and well-regarded presence in Peruvian highland growing regions for decades. At 1,800 MASL in Callayuc's cloud forest environment, and under more than 48 hours of fermentation, it delivers a cup of clean structure, unexpected spice, and gentle fruit depth.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at El Zorro involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Yellow Caturra cherries carefully hand-picked at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 48hr+ fermentation — Beans fermented for more than 48 hours, allowing the mucilage to break down naturally and enhancing clarity and aromatic depth in the cup 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed with clean water after fermentation ☀️ Sun drying — Dried under the sun for 7–15 days until reaching optimal moisture content

The extended 48hr+ fermentation is the defining step — a longer-than-conventional fermentation period that builds the blackberry depth and vanilla and clove aromatic complexity that give this Yellow Caturra its unexpected character, while the thorough washing and sun drying preserve the clean, well-structured clarity that runs through to the finish.

THE CUP

A clean, characterful, and unexpectedly complex washed Yellow Caturra from one of Cajamarca's most community-rooted and emerging specialty projects — blackberry fruit depth, vanilla warmth, and a distinctive clove note in a well-structured cup that speaks of the cloud forest landscape and the trust that brought El Zorro to life.

Flavour Notes

🫐 Blackberry 🍦 Vanilla 🌿 Clove