Guillermino Cardenas Enriquez – Apes & Peacocks

Apes & Peacocks is a roaster based in New York with one of the best names that I’ve heard to date. They sent a few of their current offerings for me to try and I was really impressed with this washed coffee from Peru.

The coffee begins with a strong fragrance of tropical fruit and floral notes that gets imbued with sweet citrus notes as you begin to brew. The aroma was big, bold and unique and one of my favorite attributes of the coffee.

As I began to drink the coffee I tasted a wide variety of stone and tropical fruits including mango, apricots and pineapple. The floral notes from the aroma were still in the flavor, but subdued as an undertone to the more prominent fruit notes. The coffee has a full, satiny body and a gentle, balanced acidity. It carries a subtle sweetness throughout and everything consolidates together in a balanced finish.

The Bottom Line

While this coffee didn’t have a single stand-out attribute, it was incredibly enjoyable to drink. It has all the attributes of a great Peruivan coffee: balanced, sweet and full-bodied. It lacks some of the complexity found in other coffees, but makes up for it with a flavor profile that is unique and a lot of fun to explore.