Utilisateur:Annerella/Brouillon

Launched by Terra Nera the Uchunari coffee, or Peruvian civet coffee, is the world most expensive and low-production of coffees. It is made from the beans of coffee berries, which have been eaten by the Peruvian civet palm cat. The actual coffee cherries pass through the stomach of the Uchunari; indeed in their digestive tract, proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids. The beans are then collected by the locals washed and put to be dried on elevated tables especially built to process coffee in the jungle. These beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness widely noted as the most expensive coffee in the world with prices reaching £7,875 per pound (0.45kg).

History[modifier | modifier le code]

There are several factors that contribute to the smoother and cleaner taste of the Uchunari coffee. Peruvian coffee is organically grown since 1700 AD and the technique that the farmers use has been handed over by word of mouth from generation to generation. The Uchunaries select their coffee cherries in the same way humans would pick the ripest apples from trees and there is no interference yet from modern technology on any of the 110 thousand coffee farms in Peru to include the farm where this coffee is produced.

The farm where the coffee is grown is small, using exclusively indigenous farming methods and is also equipped with a micro-wet milling system, in an effort to keep free from any type of chemical pollution.

The coffee crop is cultivated in between trees and shielded completely from the sun. The coffee cherries are picked over a period of five months, i.e. May to September. The beans are then handed to the competent cooperative as during the last decade, Peru’s smallholder cooperatives consolidated their movements and provided a more organized and rewarding opportunity for tens of thousands of smallholders who were once subjected to the exploitive trading practices. An estimated 15 – 25 per cent of Peru’s 100,000 smallholders now belong to cooperative organisations. These cooperatives have linked with international Fair Trade and organic networks to stimulate their growth. Working together with partners like Equal Exchange, Peruvian smallholder cooperatives quickly became the second largest suppliers or Fair Trade certified coffee after Mexico and one of the world’s top organic producers. The higher prices offered through these certified and specialty markets have strengthened cooperatives and offered at least some price premiums to fames. The more direct market access has also helped four Fair Trade Certified co-ops establish themselves among Peru’s largest 21 coffee exporters.

Cultivars, Tasting notes[modifier | modifier le code]

The entire production comes from one farm in Peru owned by Luciano Sacaca Ubano, in the south eastern part of the Peruvian Andes mountain rage nearby Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. The El Niño floods affect this region of poor soils periodically.

The Uchunari coffee is 100% coffea arabica. Arabica has a round taste that is both sweet and delicate and in this particular case has low acidity. The Uchunari is normally roasted full-city and has a full aroma, a light and a clean head, a smooth and buttery body and a velvety finish. The liquor displays hints of cocoa, hazelnuts and leather.

Production[modifier | modifier le code]

Product[modifier | modifier le code]

The civet cat, known in Qechua as Uchuñari resembles to the Luwaks from Indonesia. The big difference between Uchuñari coffee and Kopi Luwak is the way the civet cats are treated. In Peru, a limited number of civet cats have been domesticated by the coffee producer and kept as pets. They are free to wonder in the coffee farm. They eat fruits, insects, and ripe coffee cherries. The Uchuñari coexists with the coffee farmers. Contrary to the Indonesian Kopi Luwaks that are caged and fed preselected cherries.

Only 3 Uchuñaries are involved in the farm from where this coffee is supplied. They are the pets of the farmer M.Luciano Sacaca Ubano and their names are Mechas (female), Milo and Mañujo (male), they move freely in-and-out of the house and coffee plantation. The overall production is limited to 70 kg per year. The Uchunari can eat about 500g of coffee cherries a day. The actual coffee beans pass through the stomach of the cat and thereafter being collected by the farmer, washed and put to be dried on elevated tables especially built to process coffee in the jungle. Then the coffee beans go through meticulous quality control checks.

Terra Nera[modifier | modifier le code]

Terra Nera is an independent gourmet Coffee Roaster and Tea Merchant Company founded in 2009 by the Gargiulo brothers based in London.

They offer a wide range of the fine loose leaf teas and among their selection they also offer rare coffee beans from all around the world, roasted in-house. Their mission is to source, process and distribute gourmet products on the international market. The company counts a total of 25 gourmet coffees at each given time as well as over 50 fine teas to include their own blends.

Terra Nera purchased the entire production of the Uchunari coffee and introduced a rigid grading system, the staff carefully analyses under magnifying lenses in the UK offices each bean and only less than 20% of the entire lot makes it through to the 0 grade batches. 200grams of the premium selection requires over 5 hours and 2 screenings before being handed for the final approval. The defected beans are then discarded. Each grade 0 batch is micro roasted in-house on order to retain freshness and aroma and the beans are ground according to the final client’s requirement.

Source: Cecovasa co-cooperative[modifier | modifier le code]

Cecovasa [1] was founded in 1970 by five cooperatives to export, obtain better prices and cost sharing, they grew from 8 to 4581 group cooperative producers. Cecovasa is committed to producing coffee sustainably, being one of the main producers in the world for Fairtrade, Organic and Rainforest certified coffees.

The cooperative is located in the south eastern part of the Peruvian Andes mountain rage nearby Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. The park contains some 20,000 plant- species, at least 600 bird species, and 174 species of mammals, 100 reptiles and amphibians, 232 fish and 1,200 butterflies. Rare species include the Giant Otter, Spectacled Bear, Black Caiman, Marsh Deer, and the Maned Wolf and of course, the Uchuñari (English pron. Uchunarie).

Coffee broker: D.R. Wakefield & Company Limited[modifier | modifier le code]

D.R. Wakefield & Company Limited [2] was founded in January 1970 by Derrick Wakefield in London. At the beginning, he aimed at supplying specialist and regular coffees to the UK trade. Through the years and under the management of the son Simon, the company grew and spread across Europe, Australia and the USA focusing on sourcing and distributing commodities from origin, implementing strict quality and traceability controls. Being the first to distribute Organic, Fairtrade & Rainforest Alliance-certified coffees in the UK and Europe, DR Wakefield co-founded the Coffee Trade Federation [3](CTF) and the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) [4] endeavouring to work with a higher degree of ethics, accountability compliance and sustainable practices by developing long-term partnerships with farmers and cooperatives.

Price & Avaibility[modifier | modifier le code]

Availability is very limited, in harmony with Mother Nature and the mood of the Uchuñaries: Mechas, Milo and Mañujo. Recently, Mañujo passed away; reducing the overall yearly production of one third, from 70kg to about 45kg of green beans .

The scarcity of this coffee in addition to this selection process determine the high price tag of £7,875 per pound (0.45kg). The Uchunari is retailed exclusively through Terra Nera retail operations and affiliated luxury retailers according to availability.