The Pérez brothers and the Blessing of Toro Negro

Puerto Rico is full of beautiful mountains. It is practically impossible not to be impressed every time one goes up the hill to the coffee-growing area of our island. Among the mountains of our beloved island in the town of Juana Díaz lies a specialty coffee plantation in which the Pérez brothers with much love produce outstanding specialty coffee. The coffee plantation is inside the Hacienda Guindaleza, a farm that José Pérez, the father of Alfonso and Ricardo, bought with great effort and revitalized it in 2014 with the purpose of producing a specialty coffee inclusive  with the environment.

 

The great thing about this coffee plantation is precisely the area in which it is located and that is why I call it the blessing of Toro Negro. This coffee plantation is within the Toro Negro forest at about 3,000 feet above sea level between the three highest peaks in the country and has a series of resources like Lake Guineo and microclimates that maintain a stable temperature for the production of specialty coffee.

 

The Arabic varieties that Alfonso Pérez and his brother Ricardo work for their specialty brand Alquimia are Marsellesa, Limaní and Catuaí. This coffee has been send for cupping multiple times with two different Q graders, Joey Stazzone of Café Creyole in Virginia and Kim Ossenblok's with his online cupping community based in Europe. Both entities of Q graders agreed on the great potential of this coffee and its particular notes of tropical fruits such as peach, mango and pineapple. Within the characteristics of a Puerto Rican coffee, it is something quite unusual and you will not normally find it.

Listen to Alfonso Pérez interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibWLfOXDy3g

Café Alquimia is doing a rebranding and we are honored that the Pérez family has given us the exclusive confidence to re-launch this great coffee for our Cuela Community. This coffee is excellent for filter methods like Chemex, Kalita or V60. In this way you will be able to perceive those aromas and flavors of tropical fruits in the most pleasant way possible.

We invite you to support the Pérez brothers and the Puerto Rican Coffee Industry.

Acquire Café Alquimia and Terrafé here: Alquimia Honey Process & Terrafé