Peru Chanta Washed SHB
June Origin of the Month 2024
Picture yourself standing in a river valley in the Cajamarca region of Peru. You look around you and see that a mountain range forms a ring around the valley. The clean, crisp air fills your lungs as you look around. Lush, green vegetation is everywhere; tropical birds, all painted with interesting colors, fill the air with a chorus of sounds that tickle your ears. Looking at the mountains you see steep slopes, but as your gaze nears the peaks, you see that the mountains seem to level off a little near the top. Sections of these flatter areas are barely visible, but you notice what appear to be rows of short trees distinguishing themselves from the jungle vegetation. You have found them. Beautiful Peruvian coffee trees.
Your guide, a local Peruvian man, confirms what you see. He tells you that farmers up there have been growing coffee since the 1950s and it has steadily gotten better and better through the years. Being that you are a coffee nerd, you ask your guide what varietals of coffee plants the coffee farmers grow way up there in the mountains. “Bourbon, Caturra, Typica, and Pache,” he replies, proudly. How high up are these little coffee farms, you wonder. As if he read your mind, the guide states that the farms are at about 4400 feet above sea level. Glad that he made the conversion from meters to feet for you, a smile forms on your face as you begin to fantasize about drinking some of the coffee grown here.
“Please tell me everything you can about this coffee,” you ask the guide, excitedly. He senses your obvious enthusiasm and gladly replies that most of the farmers hold very little land, usually less than 5 acres, and that the families owning these small plots, do all the work themselves; from planting to growing to harvesting and processing. He tells you that the farmers are very proud of the coffees they grow and because they are proud to be Peruvians from this region, they use the washed process so that the beans they sell to the world, provide a representation of this part of Peru. Your coffee nerdiness raises its head and you doubt the guide can tell you the flavor notes you might find in this coffee. But he proudly proves your doubts unworthy, and states that you will most often get notes of milk chocolate, nougat, almond and red apple.
“Wow” is your reply. Where can I get some of this wonderful coffee you have described to me? I really want some, now.”