In search of the best coffee shop in Lima: the value of experience

Editing: Norka Peralta Liñan (originally published in El Comercio -> https://bit.ly/2WauhOq)
Journalist in El Comercio and barista by Le Cordon Bleu. Editor at cafelab.pe and content director at latangante.pe

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On April 30 the registrations to participate in the Second Cafeteria Contest in Lima organized by the Peruvian Chamber of Coffee and Cacao and Le Cordon Bleu to find the best coffee shop in the city are closed. Then comes the stage of evaluations to the contestant cafeterias, a task that will be in charge of a jury made up of baristas, tasters, journalists specializing in coffee and gastronomy as well as experts in quality assessment of service.

This year I am part of this jury, so I decided to talk with Gabriel Negrón - who in 2018 was judge in the first edition of the contest and this year repeats the dish - to give me some advice. This, of course, as an extra talk to the criteria established by the organizers of the contest.

Gabriel is a doctor by profession, but his passion for coffee, which began when he was a university student, has led him to learn about tasting special coffees and calibration of espressos, for which he has been judge of barismo in championships in Peru and Chile. . In addition, along with other enthusiastic coffee lovers and professionals from the sector, he has formed The Specialty Coffee Community, a community that organizes tasting sessions to taste and learn about special coffees.

In the first edition of the Cafeteria Contest in Lima, Gabriel was in charge of the evaluation of the preparation of espressos and drinks with milk. In this regard, he tells me that a coffee consumer and a regular at coffee shops should be clear that a good espresso should be one ounce, have cream and achieve balance in its taste; that is, to have acidity, bitterness and sweetness present. The complexity of espresso is found in the integration of its flavor, aroma and texture. The milk sweetness should be present in drinks with milk, but predominantly in espresso.

These criteria will also be evaluated: coffee quality; environment and experience; service and attention. Of all these aspects, the environment and experience are key elements for coffee consumers long before and after drinking our drink. Before that happens, the environment of the premises, which include architecture, decoration, cleanliness, temperature, music and even the aroma, will influence our perception. Other elements that matter are the concept of the premises, the treatment of the staff, the innovation in the service and the development of the brand (in glasses and cups, unique desserts, coffees in the house, etc.). All this, together with a good drink, dishes or complements, rounds off a good experience, Gabriel explains.

There is another factor that matters in the experience and that is increasingly emphasized in specialty coffee shops: customer instruction. We can see it in the decoration where they explain what types of drinks are based on espresso, the existing preparation methods or the attributes of coffee. In some places they even show you the origins of Peruvian coffee or even the wheel of flavors and aromas of coffee. All this will affect a more informed client who, therefore, will dare to take other drinks beyond the cappuccino or try some extraction method with which he is not familiar.

To this is added the effort of the baristas to encourage us to try coffee without sugar (or with less and less sugar) and from different origins. This without wanting to impose on the tastes of customers. This "evangelization on special coffees" must be done with tact, developing strategies that awaken their curiosity as talks about methods, tastings of coffees or demonstrations of latte art.

There are specialty coffee shops in Lima that take into account several of the aspects pointed out by Gabriel, so it will be a pleasure to judge their progress if some of them dare to participate in this contest. But there are two other categories in competition that excite me a lot: Café Restaurant and Café and Complement. The first groups the restaurants that serve coffee to round out the gastronomic experience; while the second is for those premises that offer coffee as a complement to a specialized menu (sandwiches, ice cream, desserts).

Along with the coffee shops, these businesses are encouraging among Lima people to drink good Peruvian coffee outside the home, which influences the domestic consumption that is still low since Peru ranks 139th in the world coffee consumption ranking with an average consumption per capita. 0.65 kilogram person. It will be interesting to see at what level your proposals are. I hope to write about it. The results and the award of the best participating venues will be on May 31 during the 22nd National Coffee and Cocoa Convention.

For more information about the contest and how to participate:
Web: https://www.experiencelimacafe.com
E-mail: eventos@camcafeperu.com.pe
Phone: 927 569 205