Today’s review is another solid offering from Intent Coffee Roasting in Portland, OR. This is Intent’s Finca La Flor Del Sapote, a direct trade coffee from the Cajamarca region of Peru. You can buy this directly from Intent Coffee Roasting for $13/bag.
I have a somewhat limited amount of exposure to Peruvian coffee, but what I am starting to recognize is that they tend to be pretty straightforward cups, tending toward simplicity instead of complexity, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that! Intent’s owner/roaster/CEO/VP of Human Resources (LOL), Mark Johnson, wrote that this coffee is “creamy and smooth” on the bag and includes notes of chocolate and vanilla on the website.
I found this to be a relatively bright and clean coffee in the Gino dripped with a 15:1 ratio. Light body, decent aftertaste but the coffee was definitely not heavy on my palate. I picked up some apple notes in the acidity and there was a good amount of florals in the flavor, too. I’m not going to try to name the flowers because I’ve never eaten any of them, so I don’t have a benchmark.
The second half of the sip was chocolatey and sweet. There were hints of berry jam fruitiness in the aftertaste, very subtle, but like a natural turned down to “1” instead of “11.” As the cup cooled I picked up some nuttiness in the flavor, too, again, not a specific nut, but a nut-like quality.
I enjoyed this coffee. It’s a basic, good start to the morning and it won’t leave you scratching your head about what you’re tasting, while at the same time giving you some things to think about while you enjoy your cups. Nicely done!