Farm: Finca Tasta
Region: Junnin, Peru
Process: Anaerobic Natural
Variety: Cattura
Elevation: 1400-1600masl
Finca Tasta is located in Peruâs central forest and is run by siblings Edith and Ivan. The farm was their late motherâs project, and the two have since taken over operations. Over the last few years, theyâve refined their processing methods and expanded their operations to become a beacon of specialty coffee and sustainability.
Finca Tasta is a 56-acre estate that has 19 acres cultivated with coffee and 22 acres of natural preserved forest. Edith is an active member of the International Womenâs Coffee Alliance (IWCA) in Peru.⯠Through her activism in the IWCA, the International Trade Center awarded Edith with the opportunity to visit Seattle during the Specialty Coffee Expo.⯠The trip inspired a desire to begin diversifying the post-harvest processing at Finca Tasta. This coffee is the result of the first few years of diversification.
Edith and her brother Ivan are leading by example, focusing on sustainability and independence by diversifying crops beyond just coffee to include food for themselves and their workers. In addition to coffee, Edith and Ivan produce plantains, yucca, tomatoes, sugarcane, raspberries, and pumpkins.
Finca Tasta has become a major source of employment for people who live in the nearby community of Challhuamayo. The farm has 6 full-time employees and 36 additional people employed during the harvest. They hope to inspire other farmers to move away from monoculture and back towards a model of truly sustainable agriculture. Their commitment to environmental protection runs so deep that they leave 9 of their 22 non-coffee hectares of land completely wild to protect native animals like deer, monkeys, and native birds.
To achieve an anaerobic (oxygen-deprived) fermentation environment, extremely ripe coffee cherry is packed into 200-liter cylinders and hermetically sealed. The fermentation of the fruit consumes all available oxygen and continues anaerobically after that, allowing sugars to macerate for a long period without the fruit itself molding or decomposing as quickly. The coffee is left to ferment anaerobically for 60 hours, and then is moved to dry on raised beds until the final humidity goal of 10.5-11.0% is reached.
More Than An Online Store
The Press Coffee story begins in 2008 with Steve Kraus and wife Tram Mai who had a passion for great coffee. Not finding the quality they were looking for, they decided to start a specialty coffee shop of their own. Opening just months before the recession of 2008 Steve and his wife were tested from the very start. Fortunately, their passion and commitment for making great coffee won the loyalty of their customers and kept them afloat. They were able to survive what was a difficult time for many much stronger and Press Coffee was born.Â
Over 14 years and 9 valley locations later, Press Coffee has become an Arizona staple among specialty coffee enthusiasts while earning national recognition for their coffees. Although Press has evolved over the years, they have stayed true their beginnings: sourcing the best possible product, using only the best equipment, but most importantly finding team members that share the Press passion for amazing coffee. Remaining quality driven and community focused Press Coffee not only supports Arizona charities but the coffee farmers around the world supplying our passion.
We share our passion for specialty coffee by providing the highest quality coffee, service and knowledge with our customers and community every day. We roast our coffee Monday - Friday to ensure the freshest cup, whether you're in one of our cafes or your brewing coffee by PRESS at home.
What is specialty coffee?
Specialty coffee is a category of coffee that is formally rated and scored at least 80 out of 100. Coffee is scored using a scaled that has been created by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) to establish specific desirable attributes within coffee. Youâll often hear the term âspecialty coffee shopâ which refers to a cafe that serves exclusively coffee that scores over 80pts.
How do I brew my coffee?
Every way to brew coffee can be a great way! We use a Chemex in our cafes, but there are more methods available than we could begin to mention on this FAQ. The keys to great coffee for any method are grinding fresh, using great water, and maintaining an ideal ratio of coffee to water.
Is your coffee fair trade?
With every coffee we purchase, we are committed to positively impacting the communities we work with on the social, economic, and environmental level. This includes supporting sustainable growing practices, paying fair prices, and sourcing through direct relationships. With every coffee we source, we are committed to improving the lives of smallholders farmers, combating climate change, and the preservation of heirloom coffee varieties.
Is your coffee organic?
We always aim to buy the best coffees available and establish long-term farming relationships. Often times these coffees are certified organic, although they are always coming from farms that have good farming practices. If a coffee is certified organic you will see that noted on the coffeeâs page.
What is the roast level of your coffee?
We roast each coffee differently from each other to bring out the best qualities of each lot. Our coffees are a medium to light roast, which promotes more flavor from the beans.
What's the shelf life of coffee?
Coffee is an agricultural product at its core and, although coffee never spoils, its quality does diminish over time. We recommend using coffee within 60 days of its roast date, although weâve had excellent cups of coffee upwards of 90 days.
What's the best way to store my coffee?
We typically recommend storing coffee in sealed Press coffee bags, in a cool, dark place like a cabinet. For larger quantities of coffee like our 5lb bags, you may choose to use an air-tight container to reduce oxidation and promote a longer shelf life.
When will my order ship?
All of our coffees are roasted to order. We roast, package, and ship coffees Monday - Friday. We typically roast on the 1st business day after and order is placed, package and ship on the 2nd. Ex. If you order on Tuesday, your coffee will be roasted Wednesday and shipped Thursday.
What is your return policy?
Because our coffee is a consumable product with a limited shelf life, we are unfortunately unable to accept returns or exchanges for online orders and subscriptions except under certain conditions such as:
- You received an incorrect item from what was ordered
- Your item was damaged in transit
If you received an incorrect item or your item was damaged in transit, please contact us by emailing info@presscoffee.com with the following information:
Your Full Name, Your Order ID, An attached photo(s) of the item(s) received
Press Coffee customer support is available Monday - Friday, 8am - 4:00pm AZ MST. We kindly ask that you do not call our retail locations for assistance with an online order as online order fulfillment and customer support is managed by a separate team. Thank you.
Help? I have a problem with my order.
Please contact us. Our friendly customer support team is available to assist Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm AZ MST.
With every coffee we source, we are committed to improving the lives of smallholder farmers, combating climate change, and supporting the preservation of heirloom coffee varieties.
We share our passion for specialty coffee by providing the highest quality coffee, service and knowledge with our customers and community every day. We roast our coffee Monday - Friday to ensure the freshest cup, whether you're in one of our cafes or your brewing coffee by PRESS at home.
Have a question about our coffee or placing an order online? Press Coffee customer support just an email away.
Customer Support Available Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm AZ MST
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