Crown Jewel Peru Organic Palomar Dagoberto Marin Ludeña Biodynamic Washed CJO1544

Taste

Taste Analysis by Chris Kornman 

 An elevated classic, this lovely biodynamic Peru is an excellent example of what we love about Peruvian coffees. Layered with chocolatey baseline notes we were especially compelled by the honey-like sweetness and balanced citrusy acidity. Gentle notes of guava, lemongrass, apple, and chamomile round out the corners of this lovely, quaffable coffee. 

Source

Source Analysis by Mayra Orellana-Powell and Chris Kornman 

Dagoberto Marin Ludeña owns La Chacra D’ Dago estate, which is located in Villa Rica in the Oxapampa Province within the Pasco Region of Peru. The 74 acres estate has been biodynamically cultivated since 2006. The Ludeña family also works with other local farmers to expand the biodynamic method throughout the region. 

Biodynamic farming began as a reaction to deteriorating soil and poor harvest and livestock conditions in the wake of increased chemical fertilizer applications in the 1920s. Emphasizing organic agricultural practices, in conjunction with synchronizing planting and harvest cycles to terrestrial conditions and celestial (especially lunar) movements, the philosophy attempts to promote ethical treatment of natural resources and harmonious human interaction with the natural world. The actions of humans, animals, and plant life are seen as interactive parts of a living system. 

Practically speaking, Biodynamic farmers set aside at least a portion of their land to promote undisturbed biodiversity (i.e., encouraging the ongoing existence of natural ecosystems) and attempt to be entirely self-sustaining with a conscious effort to return as many natural resources to the earth as are taken from it. For further reading, Demeter (the only US Biodynamic certifying agency) is an excellent source for the principles and practices of Biodynamic farming. 

The coffee from Chacra D’ Dago is anecdotal evidence that supports the argument that sustainably grown and harvested crops, including coffee, can be equally if not more delicious than their conventionally produced counterparts. It’s an undeniably enjoyable coffee, made so much more so by virtue of its conscientious production under the guidance of Dagoberto Marin Ludeña and his family. 

Green

Green Analysis by Chris Kornman 

 The coffee grown on Chacra D’ Dago comes to us with a large screen size and low density. It’s slightly elevated moisture and moderately high water activity all suggest that the coffee will respond favorably to a gentle flame and overall slightly longer roasting styles, with particular attention to low charge temperatures to prevent scorching. 

The farm is cultivating a range of tree types including legacy Bourbon and Typica, short stature Caturra and its hybrid offspring Catuai, and some Catimor, the rust-resistant hybrid. The beans, in addition to appearing relatively large, are also mostly oblong.  

Diedrich IR-5

Diedrich IR-5 Analysis by Doris Garrido 

From “Chacra Don Dago” which translates from the Quechua language means the lands of Mrs. Dago, we have received the first Peru Crown Jewel of the season.  

When we first tasted the coffee, it had juicy acidity, warm sweetness, and a silky body, just great to work on a bigger roast. 

For my 5-kilo roast on the Diedrich, I batched 5.5 lbs. and warmed up the roaster. The green analysis indicated low density and 11.8% moisture; things that need to be considered during roasting 

I charged at 436.2°F with full air open and waited a minute before starting the 100% gas. After 4 minutes in the drying phase, I lowered the gas to 30% just after hitting color change. Regarding air, I began the roast with it fully open and then reduced it to 50% from the middle of drying to the start of the Maillard phase, keeping it there until the end of the roast. 

I did 3:29 minutes in yellowing which turned into a great juiciness, but If I had to roast this coffee again, I would stretch Maillard longer as this coffee has the potential to bring more complex sweetness without losing the juiciness. 

I hit the first crack at 385 F with 15.2 of RoR, and at this point, the temperature stopped lowering as it had before, I decided to kill the burners to keep the temperature from rising and ended the roast at 402 F at 8:54 minutes of roasting. 

I cup the coffee right after I take it out of the roaster, and as I expected I got a bunch of herbal notes, which is kind of normal as I did not give it time to rest, but a side of those notes I got: Lemongrass, lemon, kiwi, brown sugar, Creme Brule, and a great silky body. The rest of the team cupped the coffee the next day and the looks like the coffee rested great as I got: Goji berry, lemongrass, plum, almond butter, baked apple, Bartlett pear, pecan pie, and chamomile. 

I got a pour-over just now and I would say that it is a very enjoyable cup, exceptionally clean with soft acidity and a complex sweetness.  

aillio bullet r1

Aillio Bullet R1 IBTS Analysis by Evan Gilman 

Unless otherwise noted, we use both the roast.world site and Artisan software to document our roasts on the Bullet. You can find our roast documentation below, by searching on roast.world, or by clicking on the Artisan links below.  

Generally, we have good results starting our 500g roasts with 428F preheating, P6 power, F2 fan, and d6 drum speed. Take a look at our roast profiles below, as they are constantly changing! 

Biodynamic coffees are fairly rare. I’m nowhere near as versed in wine as I am in coffee, but I believe I’ve had a good number more biodynamic wines than I have coffees. So, it’s with no small amount of excitement that I roast and taste this coffee. We have had our share of Peruvian Crown Jewel selections, but I’m happy to see this one return to our menu. 

I did hear through the grapevine that this is a relatively large coffee with plenty of moisture content, high water activity, and slightly lower density, so I decided to use a lower charge temperature than normal, 419F. It turns out that this is exactly in line with what Chris is recommending above! Beyond this, I also started with a lower heat application (P7) and increased to P8 just a few seconds after charge. Keeping F2 fan speed at the start, I let this coffee continue until peak rate of change (about 35F/min), then reduced heat to P7 and increased air flow to F3 to really draw out the roast. Just before yellowing, I increased fan speed to F4 for a touch, but realized this was really drawing down my rate of change, perhaps more dramatically than I desired. I returned to F3 with my tail in between my legs as the rate of change dipped to 14F/min.  

From there it flattened out, something I was loathe to see. I did keep the rate of rise right around 14-15F/min for the remainder of the roast, then turned down heat and turned up airflow after crack to get as much air through the drum as possible. Reader, I wasn’t too happy with the way it looked, but I witheld judgement until I tasted it. 

And I’m glad I did. Some immediate toastiness came out in fragrance, but there was ample sweetness here to assuage my consternation. Almond paste and maple syrup flavors came through nicely, with a touch of black tea and a tinge of citrus zest to top it all off. Sure, later brews of this coffee harbored a little of the toastiness from my flattened rate of change, but overall this was an incredibly chuggable coffee.  

If I were to practice this roast again, I would certainly hold off on adjusting my airflow through yellowing, with the knowledge that rate of change would slowly and gently decrease without much prompting. Regardless, I’d love to try this roast as an espresso, as the gentle and chocolatey nature of this coffee would be sure to make an immaculate macchiato. Quaff with confidence! 

You can follow along with my roast here on roast.world:  

https://roast.world/egilman/roasts/lrONhwsON7U2FsvRwIYNY 

Ikawa Pro V3

Ikawa Pro V3 Analysis by Isabella Vitaliano 

 Our current Ikawa practice compares two sample roast profiles, originally designed for different densities of green coffee. The two roasts differ slightly in total length, charge temperature, and time spent between color change in first crack. You can learn more about the profiles here. 

This nuanced and silky sweet Peruvian is biodynamic on the farm and dynamic in the cup. Guaranteed to have you going back for more sips (and boxes!). On the first QC pass, we got notes of lemongrass, cantaloupe, milk chocolate, Bartlett pear and baked apple.  

 On the high-density roast the aroma had some toned-down florals and the profile presented itself as a lemon drop, soft peach, lemongrass, silky, and Werther’s candy.  

 The light density profile had even more developed sweetness but not towards a darker caramel as one might expect. It went the opposite and tasted like cotton candy, honeycomb, and white candy-like flavor with some white peach on the edges.  

One thing that held true in both roasts was a deliciously silky, and feather-like body. An enjoyable acidity was more noticeable in the high-density roast but the winner for me here is the light-density profile. The candy-like sweetness and soft silky feathery body was unmatched and imagine this roast would be especially delicious on a delicate pour-over brew.  

You can roast your own by linking to our profiles in the Ikawa Pro app here: 

Roast 1: Low Density Sample Roast 

Roast 2: High Density Sample Roast   

Brew

Brew Analysis by Joshua Wismans 

 The Crown Jewel program features a wide variety of coffees. Some coffees feature experimental and unusual farming and processing techniques. Others shine by subverting our expectations. Some, however, are featured for purely being brilliantly classic. That’s Dagoberto’s coffee. A Peru that shines for its drinkability through big sweetness and body with delicate florality and acidity.

One of the first brews that we loved had a slightly finer grind with a moderate coffee-to-water ratio of 1:15.79. We found the V60 worked well with coffee by lending cleanliness to the profile. With a TDS of 1.43, the classic chocolate and honey sweetness was front and center while still showcasing the orange and passionfruit acidity.   

We tried to see how a more delicate brew would fare by making the grind coarser, but we found a faint bitterness emerge. With the larger bean size and lower density, we found this coffee to be less soluble and therefore responds better to finer grinds. 

 A fun experiment we did that gave us some intriguing results was an immersion brew with the Clever with a big updose to 23 grams of coffee to 300 grams of water. The cup featured a big molasses body with notes of dried apricot and citrus. Not quite as balanced as the first V60 brew highlighted, but still a great cup. 

For this coffee, we recommend a finer grind since it has a lower solubility, a moderate dose, and a conical brewer to lend cleanliness to the robust sweetness. Enjoy this immaculate classic! 

Espresso

Espresso Analysis by MJ Smith 

To me, this coffee from La Chacra D’ Dago makes for the perfect espresso as we slowly creep from fall into winter. The air is getting colder, the food is getting heartier, and coffee is the backbone of keeping your sanity during the holiday season. Delicious on its own and when paired with milk, this coffee will for sure to keep every kind of espresso lover happy, whether you’re looking for something sweet, bright, chocolatey, or even a little savory. 

When dialing this coffee in, I originally started with a lower dose of 18 grams, but no matter how fast or slow it pulled, I just wasn’t loving it. I pulled several more shots, slightly increasing the dose each time, but it wasn’t until I reached 19.5 grams that it truly started to shine. The shot I’m referring to has a yield of 38 grams and a pull time of 32 seconds. Up front, it had some nice, bright citrusy notes of lime, pomelo, and orange zest, and had a noticeable savoriness to it in the form of sun-dried tomato and bay leaf (but in a really pleasant way). To round it all out, it was also pretty chocolatey and sweet, with notes of cacao nib, caramel, and spicy cherry cola.  

From there, I increased the dose to 20 grams, but kept the yield and time relatively the same, at 38.5 grams out and 31 seconds. This shot was my favorite of the whole batch. I picked up notes of dark chocolate peanut butter cups, candied citrus, honeysuckle, mango, and caramelized sugar. I shared some with the rest of the team, who found notes of roasted almond, peanut butter cookie, orange peel, sun-dried tomato, sweet pepper, chamoy sauce, Tajín seasoning. I tried a similar shot in an oat milk cappuccino and it was, as expected, very delicious, with notes of peanut butter, rosemary, lavender honey, and just a hint of mole sauce.  

Overall, I really enjoyed this coffee as an espresso and I think it would make the perfect addition to anyone’s espresso bar. When dialing it in for yourself, I recommend a slightly higher dose and a pretty average yield and pull time. Enjoy!