Peruvian Coffee - The Story and Introduction of La Flor Coffee Farm? How to Brew Peruvian Coffee?

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Peruvian Coffee - The Planting Story and Introduction of La Flor Coffee Farm

The name of La Flor del Zapote farm originates from the beautiful trees found in the Peruvian jungle highlands. The farm is located between the villages of La Palma and Las Pirias, within the Chirinos district and San Ignacio province of Peru, at an altitude of 1700 meters. The coffee produced in this region is Strictly Hard Bean (SHB), renowned for its high quality. All crops grown on this farm are cultivated using only organic fertilizers, with the family utilizing shade cover provided by surrounding fruit trees and wildflowers.

La Flor del Zapote now has a forty-year history and is operated by Rony Lavan Guerrero and his family of eight. Everyone on the farm works day after day to grow and harvest high-quality coffee. Production is moderate, approximately 200-250 square meters annually, managed mainly by the family, with 5-7 local workers hired during the harvest season. The farm is located between the villages of La Palma and Las Pirias, in the Chirinos district and Cajamarca province of Peru. The community has approximately 2,000 residents, whose children attend La Palma school, which provides education up to 8th grade for about 180 students.

Peruvian Coffee History

Coffee arrived in Peru in the mid-1700s, most likely introduced by Dutch immigrants. The Dutch brought the Typica variety, which predominates especially in old farms and micro-farms. The first coffee was planted in Chinchao, located in the central Selva, Huanuco, and from there spread to the northern (Cajamarca) and southern (Cusco and Puno) regions of the country. Peru opened its first coffee shop in Lima in 1771 and began exporting coffee in 1887.

Peruvian Coffee Potential and Challenges

Peru is a country with tremendous potential, but due to special circumstances, it is difficult to find 87+ coffee in consumer countries. The potential is there: the country is the world's eighth-largest coffee producer, with numerous farms at altitudes of 1600 to 1800 meters and above, primarily with Typica and Bourbon varieties; theoretically, all these conditions should give us 88-90+ coffee. However, this is not the case, as Peru's high-end coffee is very scarce due to the challenges it faces. Most farmers own only a few hectares of land, and these are located in remote areas. Often, their farms are 4 hours' walk from the nearest town and 8 hours' drive from the nearest port. This means coffee can sit unnecessarily long at the farm after drying. During the drying season, climate conditions are often very humid with precipitation. Without proper storage, such as GrainPro, coffee will gain moisture and compromise cup quality.

CENFROCAFE Cooperative

CENFROCAFE is one of Peru's strongest cooperatives, both in terms of quantity and quality. They have implemented programs to increase yields through organic fertilizers while maintaining plant health, which has been particularly useful during coffee leaf rust outbreaks. CENFROCAFE produces approximately 120,000 quintales (1 quintal = 100 lbs) of coffee annually, making it one of the country's leading cooperatives. The average yield per hectare is about 22 quintales, which is high for organic production worldwide. CENFROCAFE recommends that its producers fertilize with Guano de Isla, phosphate rock, and Ulexite to achieve these yields.

In terms of quality, CENFROCAFE is also one of Peru's largest exporters. They rank highly in national competitions, have tremendous micro-lot potential, and excellent delivery capacity with consistent full containers.

Before this harvest, one might taste excellent 90+ coffees from southern Ecuador, but Peru's northern coffee production exceeds 86%, and the coffee-growing areas are adjacent to each other with very similar conditions. CENFROCAFE's producers have heirloom Typica and Bourbon varieties at altitudes of 1600+ and 1800+. We are very satisfied with the quality of this year's micro-lots.

La Flor del Norte Community

This community lot is produced by two small coffee growers living near the town of La Flor del Norte in the Huabal district of Peru. With a total population of only 200+ people and just 45 families, it is clear that this town is extremely rural. Nevertheless, the climate and altitude are ideal for growing special coffee. In fact, one of the producers contributing to this 'Flor del Norte' team was the champion of 1st place in Peru's Excellent Cup 2017, Juan Heredia Sanchez, whose winning score reached as high as 92.25 points under the judgment of an international jury.

Both of these farmers belong to the producer organization COOPAGRO, which was formed in 2016 by 279 farmers from various villages, all located in the Huabal district. These two farmers—like many in this region—grew up with coffee and learned about it from their parents and grandparents. The contributing farms of La Flor, El Jardin, and La Montaña have been cultivated for over 50 years, and each producer names their farm to honor the trees or natural features that stand out in the wilderness. The lot sizes are small; however, the families rely on coffee for themselves and their families, depending almost entirely on coffee for income. However, with the emergence of the specialty coffee market, producers in this region are seeking to expand both productivity and quality.

A prime example is Juan's recent first-place win in the 2017 Cup of Excellence (COE). Since he was a child, Juan has always enjoyed working on the farm, but he never imagined his coffee would become the first Peruvian coffee to win COE in history. Juan stated that he is not special and that all his neighbors produce special coffee. According to him, the key to this development is hard work and cooperation—primarily through the producer association COOPAGRO.

Before his involvement with COOPERAGRO, he only sold coffee locally in Cajamarca. However, the support and encouragement he received from the cooperative made him believe he could do more and earn more from his work. This year and in the future, with COOPERAGRO's support, Juan plans to plant an experimental and test plot, improve soil fertility, and plant additional shade trees. He will continue to improve his production through training pushed by this group.

Juan and all producers working with COOPERAGRO are encouraged to replace Catimor with high-quality varieties such as Caturra, Pache, Typica, and Bourbon. While these are more susceptible to coffee leaf rust, the cooperative is working to train producers to combat this plague using purely organic methods. Most importantly, proper fertilization is a focus.

All producer members have received training in renovation techniques, and each has a nursery of their own cultivation. Pruning is done at the end of each harvest to ensure productivity and plant health. The plantations are regularly evaluated by internal evaluators who provide advice on best practices and help troubleshoot when producers encounter problems.

Peruvian Coffee Details

• Origin: Peru
• Region: Cajamarca
• Farm: 2000 small farmers
• Altitude: 1200-2200 masl
• Processing Method: Washed, sun-dried
• Flavor: Juicy acidity, chocolate and cherry notes, smooth mouthfeel

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation: How to Brew Peruvian La Flor Coffee

• Dripper: Hario V60
• Water Temperature: 88°C
• Grind Size: Fuji grinder setting 4
• Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, using 15g of coffee. First pour 25g of water and let bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g and stop. Wait until the water level drops to half before continuing the pour. Slowly pour until reaching 225g total. Extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the flavors of the coffee's front, middle, and back segments.

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