Peru Chanchamayo Region Hand-Picked | Organic Cultivation Washed Arabica

Peru Chanchamayo Coffee: Hand-Harvested, Organically Grown Washed Arabica Flavor Profile

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Peru coffee beans are produced in La Florida, located in the northeastern highlands of the Andes Mountains. This area is home to Chanchamayo, the most famous of Peru's nine coffee-producing regions. It belongs to a high-altitude rainforest area where coffee plantations are situated between 1,200-1,400 meters above sea level. With an average annual temperature of 17-30°C and annual rainfall of 1,500-2,000 mm, this is an ideal location for coffee cultivation. The two most renowned growing areas in this region are Villa Rica and La Merced, with Typica Arabica being the primary cultivated variety.

Peru's coffee cultivation history dates back to 1930 when a group of German immigrants settled in what is now the Villa Rica region, initiating coffee cultivation activities and bringing new cultural vitality to the area. This developed unique regional human characteristics, and to commemorate these new residents from afar, June 26th is designated as "Settler's Day" each year. Today, many local coffee farmers are descendants of these immigrants, continuing to operate these precious coffee estates from generation to generation!

In fact, La Florida is a cooperative established in 1965, initially composed of 100 farming families, and has now grown to include nearly 1,200 farmers. Each family typically cultivates only 2-3 hectares of coffee land. In their coffee plantations, they use only natural fertilizers and avoid synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides. This cooperative has its own technical team, small loan institutions for housewives to maintain household expenses, a small medical clinic, and has established funds to purchase coffee processing machinery for the cooperative.

Peru coffee beans are cultivated and harvested entirely by hand. After harvesting ripe coffee cherries, the pulp and skin are removed, followed by washed fermentation. Once fermentation is complete, natural sun-drying methods are employed to prevent beans from acquiring earthy flavors or other impurities. The coffee exhibits a sweet and sour flavor profile with minimal impurities, resulting in a remarkably clean cup. For South American coffee beans, the quality is quite excellent.

Villa Rica is a prosperous and bustling small town in the eastern Andes. It features extensive ecological conservation forests and is also a renowned bird protection area. Surprisingly, 400 bird species have been recorded in Villa Rica! This demonstrates that Villa Rica is a coffee-producing region extremely friendly to the natural environment. Coffee cultivation altitude is approximately 1,500 meters, with an average annual temperature of 20°C and annual rainfall of about 1,800 mm, providing excellent growing conditions perfect for coffee tree development!

Farmers employ organic composting methods for cultivation, primarily growing Typica varieties. The quality of green beans is extremely stable. Harvest season begins in April and continues through September. After harvesting, green beans undergo washed fermentation and natural sun-drying. Coffee produced in the Villa Rica region possesses special creamy and nutty aromas, with a warm, thick, and smooth mouthfeel, excellent sweetness, and a slightly elevated fruit acidity in the finish that brings a comfortable aftertaste.

The town is located 350 kilometers north of Lima. This area is densely covered with mountains and forests. Although situated in a tropical rainforest region, the growing altitude is sufficiently high, combined with oceanic climate regulation, maintaining quite suitable average annual temperatures and rainfall. It is the most famous and highest-quality producing area among Peru's coffee regions.

Most Peruvian small-scale coffee farmers each own approximately two hectares of small plots. Due to poverty, they cannot afford chemical fertilizers or pesticides, so almost all practice organic farming and process and sell their produce through cooperatives. Generally speaking, Peruvian coffee is characterized by its full, balanced flavor profile, making it very suitable as a component in coffee blends.

Cultivation Details

Planting altitude: 800 - 1,100 masl (Meters Above Sea Level)

Annual rainfall: 600 - 1,400 mm p/y

Varieties: Typica and Caturra

Certification: Organic

Processing method: Washed

Key Features

• The cultivation areas are extensively planted with fruit trees called "INGA," locally known as Pacay, which not only provide good shade but also offer food for birds during flowering and fruiting seasons.

• Small farmers organize production cooperatives, establishing a complete mechanism for green bean sales.

• Almost every farm has complete green bean processing equipment to facilitate optimal processing timing after coffee cherry harvest.

• The cooperative provides further refinement and grading screening, with coffee green beans being properly bagged and directly exported to buyers from various countries, effectively ensuring green bean storage timeliness and avoiding quality damage that might occur due to improper storage conditions when transportation is concentrated to Lima port.

• The cooperative maintains long-term connections with international coffee organizations, dedicated to implementing fair trade and organic cultivation. Currently, Villa Rica has become the world's second-largest organic fair trade coffee-producing region.

• Farms implement planned seedling replacement during the optimal fruit-bearing years of coffee trees to maintain high-quality coffee trading.

• Effective utilization of pulp remaining from coffee cherry processing and fermented organic wastewater for organic composting creates a virtuous cycle for cultivation.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water temperature: 90°C

Grind size: Small Fuji grind setting 3.5

Brewing method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, using 15g of coffee grounds. First pour 25g of water for a 25-second bloom. Second, pour up to 120g water and stop pouring. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total water. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains water quickly, stopping the pour can extend the extraction time.

Important Notice :

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