Peru - Maria Estela

About the Coffee

The Marshell varietal has an unusual origin. In 2011, a fungal outbreak wiped out nearly every coffee tree on Finca La Lucuma in Cajamarca, Peru. One tree survived. Farm owner Grimanes Morales Lizana propagated that single survivor across the farm and named the new varietal Marshell, after her father-in-law Marcelino. Eight years later, Marshell won the 2019 Peru Cup of Excellence with a score of 92, outperforming several Geisha entries in the competition.

Today, only a small number of producers in Cajamarca are growing Marshell. Maria Estela is one of them, at her farm Finca La Perla. This lot is processed using the natural method, where whole coffee cherries are dried with the fruit still intact around the bean. This extended contact between the fruit and the seed tends to produce a denser, more syrupy cup compared to washed processing.

About Spilt Milk

Spilt Milk started as a café in Revelstoke, BC, built around coffee, food, and community. After years working in hospitality, the team decided to start roasting their own coffee rather than sourcing it from elsewhere. Roasting in-house gave them tighter control over quality and consistency, both for the café and for customers brewing at home.

Their coffee line is split into two ranges. The Everyday range is designed to be forgiving and easy to brew at home. The Premium range, where this Finca La Perla lot sits, is focused on more seasonal and expressive coffees. The approach is shaped by how people actually drink coffee, not by how coffee is typically talked about.