CLOUD NINE - Peru Blanca Padilla
Origin: Peru, Cajamarca (Tabaconas, San Ignacio)
Farm: El Chachacaspe
Producer: Blanca Padilla Campos
Importer: Balance51
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1,800 masl
Varietal: Geisha
Tasting notes: Jasmine – Bergamot – Grape – Oolong Tea
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We roast every Monday and Thursday, and ship on Tuesday and Friday.
For an estimated shipping time, please check our FAQ. - We recommend letting the coffee rest for a minimum of one week after roasting date, with peak in flavors being around 3-4 weeks.
- A minimum of 4kg is required to place an order with our wholesale pricing.
The Story
For this new edition of Cloud Nine, our delicate and floral staple from the Extra range, we're heading to Peru, to a farm called El Chachacaspe, in the district of Tabaconas, a four-hour drive from Jaén, in the heart of Cajamarca's coffee country.
The farm belongs to Blanca Padilla Campos, who has been growing coffee since she was twelve, helping her parents tend varieties like Caturra, Pache, and Catimor. Back then, her family sold their coffee to traders who came to the farm, with no real understanding of cupping or quality assessment, they were often shortchanged. Everything changed when Blanca's father joined a cooperative and learned what actually mattered in selling great coffee: above all, cupping. Blanca carried that lesson forward, eventually inheriting and expanding her own land, always working with similar varieties — until one decision changed everything.
Four years ago, Blanca's husband Albertino, an agronomist, got his hands on Panama Geisha seeds. He knew the variety's potential but had no idea how it would behave on their land. They decided to try anyway. With Blanca's patience and attentive care, the results have been extraordinary, a Geisha profile distinctive enough to win over palates across Asia and Europe. Blanca now manages the farm largely on her own, as Albertino travels often for work, and she's expanding her Geisha plantings further: around 1,500 plants currently in production, with her first harvest of the Tabi variety expected this year.
This coffee also marks our first collaboration with Balance51. When their team, led by Gian Carlo, brought samples to the roastery, Blanca's Geisha stood out immediately: layered, sweet, and deeply floral. We knew right away it belonged in Cloud Nine.
The Process
This lot is fully washed, processed with the same attention to detail that defines everything Blanca does.
During harvest, Blanca is helped by family and neighbors to pick only ripe cherries. Before floating, she double-checks every batch by hand to remove unripe beans and foreign matter, a manual quality check most farms skip. Cherries then go through flotation, followed by pulping and fermentation.
Blanca initially fermented for 24 hours, but through experimentation found that a shorter 12-hour fermentation produced better sensory results — a small adjustment that speaks to her ongoing, hands-on refinement of the process. After fermentation, the parchment is washed and moved to raised beds, where it dries for 15 to 20 days depending on weather, until reaching 10.5–11% moisture. The coffee is then rested in propylene bags for 3 to 4 weeks to stabilize before milling.
The farm sits at 1,800 meters above sea level, in the kind of high-altitude environment that gives Geisha the room it needs to develop real complexity.
The Cup
Delicate, layered, and deeply floral, Geisha at its most expressive.
The cup opens with jasmine, lifted and perfumed, immediately announcing what kind of coffee this is. Bergamot follows with a citrusy, aromatic complexity reminiscent of Earl Grey, while grape adds a juicy, almost wine-like sweetness underneath. A finish of oolong tea ties everything together — soft, tannic, and beautifully composed.
This is Cloud Nine doing exactly what it's meant to do: slow you down, draw you in, and reward every bit of attention you give it.