Peru UTZ Certified Coffee | Washed Geisha from Veracica Estate, Pasco Region, Oxapampa Province

Peru UTZ Certified Coffee | Verarica Estate Washed Geisha, Oxapampa Province, Pasco Region | What Is Micro-Wet-Milling?

Like many Central and South American countries, Peru spent much of the 20th century breaking up large European-owned landholdings, so farms grew steadily smaller and more fragmented. That gave farmers a chance at independence, but it also limited their access to resources and larger commercial markets. Organizations and infrastructure offering economic or technical support were scarce, and non-governmental organizations and certification bodies stepped in to fill the gap. The country now has a considerable number of organic, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, and UTZ certifications, with UTZ also known as International Quality Certification. Roughly 30% of small farmers belong to democratic cooperatives, which has raised local awareness of coffee but has not always delivered extremely high-quality products.

Coffee Origin Details

Region: Pasco

Province: Oxapampa

Altitude: 1,700 meters

Variety: Geisha (called Geysha locally in Peru)

Annual Rainfall: Approximately 1,200mm

Processing Method: Washed, rack-dried in the sun

When it comes to Peru, the stories never run out: ancient and mysterious Indian legends, the city in the sky at Machu Picchu, the enigmatic Nazca Lines, Andean peaks that pierce the clouds, and South America's largest freshwater lake, Lake Titicaca, at 3,812 meters. Peru is also home to llamas, which people in Taiwan affectionately call "grass mud horses." It is a fascinating country, and in the specialty coffee world it is one of the most interesting presences.

Peruvian coffee is most easily associated with organic certification. Beyond its natural and human advantages, Peru's organic coffee is heavily supported by government policy, making the country arguably the most important production area in the organic coffee market. That deep-rooted organic reputation, however, has often overshadowed Peru's specialty coffee development. In fact, Peru has what could fairly be called crazy conditions for specialty coffee production.

The Andes give Peru unusual altitude and topographic diversity. Fly into the ancient capital of Cusco and you can watch Andean peaks break through the clouds from the plane, yet only an hour away by air, the capital, Lima, is unmistakably a coastal city. We traveled to Peru's eastern production region on a night bus, a sleeper that left at 8 PM and arrived around 9 AM the next morning. In twelve short hours we went from sea level across mountain roads at about 5,000 meters and then down to production areas at about 2,000 meters, an unforgettable experience. In Peru, planting altitudes of 1,800 or even 2,000 meters are not uncommon. Coffee-growing families, mainly indigenous groups who prefer to live in harmony with nature, use the most natural cultivation methods and preserve many old tree varieties.

2017 was an important year for Peruvian specialty coffee. The first Cup of Excellence was finally held in October 2017, indicating that Peruvian farmers would expand their focus beyond organic coffee. The batch we selected was acquired through special channels during the COE competition.

In the 2010s, Peru was one of the major Arabica producers, ranking fifth in the world for Arabica production and export. Yet the remoteness of the farms and their extremely small typical size held back the differentiation of individual farms, which is what allowed micro-lot development and marketing in other growing regions. The country's lush highlands and excellent heirloom varieties give growers the potential to overcome limited infrastructure and market access. As production increases, we are more likely to see these kinds of advances.

Peruvian farmers' landholdings are small, and the country's typical micro-wet-milling operations are even smaller. From May to September, farmers harvest ripe cherries and transport them to manual pulpers and wooden fermentation tanks. In Peru, processing is mainly done through wet milling on the plantation itself. During this process the moisture content of the beans is reduced to about 20%, and they are then transported to drying facilities. This decentralized system is a disadvantage in Peru's northern coffee regions, where it leads to inconsistent quality and encourages rot and fungal growth.

After processing, most farmers walk or ride mules to the nearest town to sell their coffee, a trip that can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours. On Saturdays the nearest town square becomes a trading post for surrounding remote growers. Farmers sell their coffee and buy the goods they need before returning to the mountains.

This is the first time we have selected beans from the Peru region. We are bringing three high-quality coffees, each with a different flavor, refined yet affordable, all in very limited quantities. These are rare, high-quality Peruvian specialty coffees worth seeking out.

Cupping Brief Review

Peru Pasco Region Oxapampa Province Verarica Estate Geisha Washed

The dry aroma is delicate and elegant, with captivating notes of frangipani, blueberry, Earl Grey tea, and lemon peel. On the palate it opens with pleasant frangipani, blueberry, peach, bergamot, lemon peel, and coffee flower, engaging and inviting, with a memorable aftertaste.

Peru Pasco Region Oxapampa Province Verarica Estate Yellow Caturra Natural Process

A sweet and robust dry aroma with wine-like notes, mango, peach, passion fruit, and red guava. The cup shows intoxicating wine notes, berries, peach, rum raisins, and florals, along with complex, intense flavors of melon and papaya.

Peru Amazon Region Rodriguez Mendoza Province San Nicolas Cooperative Maragogype/Caturra Washed

Dry aroma with orange peel, citrus, grapefruit, and some spice. The flavor brings citrus, grapefruit, black tea, dried figs, and cranberries, robust and full, with a toffee-cocoa finish.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Mini R 3.5

Brewing Method: 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15g of grounds. First infusion 25g of water, bloom for 25s. Second infusion to 120g, then pause. Wait until the water level drops halfway, then slowly continue pouring until the total reaches 225g. Extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: The three-stage method clearly separates the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing during the pour extends the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Peruvian Geisha demonstrates what happens when a treasured variety meets a wild, high-altitude terroir, and it is a reminder of how much the Geisha name now covers. FrontStreet Coffee grades its Geisha selection so you can choose a style and a budget rather than simply a label.

The reference lots are the Esmeralda Red Label and Green Label. Red Label, officially Esmeralda Special, is grown between 1,600 and 1,800 meters, must cup above 90 points, and comes from a single plot with its own lot number; the Green Label, or Private Collection, blends several plots into one lot and shows the estate's high-altitude signature at a lower price. For an entry point, the Boquete Geisha offers classic Panama tangerine-honey sweetness, oolong tea texture, and delicate fruit acidity. FrontStreet also carries Geisha Village Gold Label, a naturally processed Geisha 1931 that is 10% of the village's output, Geisha Village Red Label, a Gori Gesha scoring 88 or higher on the SCA scale, and the Ethiopian single-variety Granada Geisha, sun-dried on raised beds for 14 to 20 days.

Geisha is medium-light roasted, and its hard, dense bean can sink and block the dripper, so FrontStreet suggests a grind of about fine sugar, with 78% passing a China-standard #20 sieve, and water at 91°C. Put 15g in a small Hario V60 at a 1:16 ratio: bloom with 30g for 30 seconds, circle slowly to 125g, wait for the bed to drop halfway, then finish at 225g, for a total of roughly 2 minutes 10 seconds to 2 minutes 20 seconds.