Oporapa marks the arrival of main crop Colombia for the folks of PERC Coffee. Oporapa is an exciting coffee to feature, in that it’s one of Cafe Imports’s new line of Regional Selects.
Regional Selects is a new project Cafe Imports created in Colombia that is meant to highlight the inherent unique profiles found in specific microregions within the country. The regions they are currently highlighting are Huila, Narino, Cauca, and Tolima.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Oporapa Colombia, from PERC Coffee in Savannah, Georgia. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS:
region: Oporapa, Huila, Colombia
farm: N/A
producer: smallholder farmers
association: N/A
elevation: 1500 – 1700 meters above sea level
cultivars: Caturra, Colombia
process: fully washed, patio dried
certifications: standard
CUPPINGNOTES:
The aroma of the Oporapa Colombia is really something else. It is bursting with tropical fruit scents but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a bright aroma; it’s actually pretty mellow. But I really dig these scents of grape juice, cherry, caramel, and rose hips.
Taking my first few sips of the cup immediately post-brew, the coffee presents my palate with a really unique flavor profile. It’s a very full-bodied coffee and it slowly oozes over my palate with a thick, molasses-like mouthfeel. The coffee, while it’s still hot, is characterized by cooked sugars: caramel and caramelized panela with a touch of raw honey. There are some fruit flavors happening up front, too, but they’re very mellow: black grape and cherry are the most predominant.
As the cup cools off, it gets even more complex. Grape soda becomes the dominant tasting note, and it’s accompanied by other fruit flavors of cherry liqueur, cantaloupe, black plum, cranberry orange scone, a subtle orange juice acidity, and raspberry jam. There is also a heavy presence of savory flavors throughout the finish: black licorice, star anise, and cloves.
Fully body; syrupy mouthfeel; citric acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
I have tasted some really unique Colombian coffees over the past few years; it seems that with every passing year these coffees just getting more and more interesting/dynamic/complex. PERC Coffee’s Oporapa is another in a long line of these coffees.
NOTE: Check out KC Coffee Geek’s thoughts of the Oporapa.
What were your thoughts of this one? Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome! Feel free to enter a comment below. Also remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.