What Varieties Are Peruvian Coffee Beans and Which Peruvian Coffee Brands Are Better

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Peruvian Coffee

Coffee cultivation in Peru is distributed mainly across the northern Cajamarca region, southern Cusco and the Norte area. 70% of the cultivated varieties are Typica, 20% are Caturra, and the remainder consists of other varieties such as Catimor. 75% of coffee growing areas sit at altitudes of roughly 1,000-1,800 meters, while plants grown in shaded areas reach 2,000 plants per hectare. Farming is carried out mainly by smallholders, with organic coffee cultivation covering 90,000 hectares.

As the world's eighth largest coffee-producing country, Peru has found over the past decade that organic coffee holds tremendous business opportunity in Europe and America. Coffee cultivation in Peru's mountainous regions lacks running water and electricity, and impoverished indigenous farmers have traditionally practiced organic cultivation; to this day they still cannot afford and do not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers. The authorities have leveraged this to develop the organic coffee industry, offering government guidance and certification and issuing organic certificates to qualified producers to facilitate exports.

Peru's organic coffee production costs are low, making it the world's largest and cheapest organic coffee exporter. The other two major organic coffee producers are Mexico and Ethiopia, but their prices are higher. The authorities aim to develop Peru into the world's premier organic coffee country, much as Vietnam is the world's largest Robusta producer, though this low-price strategy has caused dissatisfaction among many producing countries.

Although Peru sells organic coffee at low prices, that does not mean specialty coffee has disappeared there. At the 2010 SCAA "Coffee of the Year" cupping competition, a Typica coffee produced by Cecovasa from the small town of Tunkimayo in the Puno region of southeastern Peru scored 89.2 points, narrowly beating the renowned Geisha from Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda to take fifth place.

Peruvian beans, particularly those from the central Chanchamayo and southern Cusco regions, are the most famous. Some areas in northern Peru also produce distinctive organic coffees. Organic coffee uses beans grown under tree shade. Although shade-growing lowers yields, the quality can reach the level of premium coffee.

The shade provided by trees slows the maturation of the coffee trees, helping the coffee grow fully so it can hold more natural compounds, cultivate superior flavors and reduce its caffeine content.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Like Peru, Ethiopia is one of the world's major organic and wild-grown coffee origins, and FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian line is built around that heritage. FrontStreet Coffee washed Yirgacheffe is the classic entry point, with clear jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity, a light, elegant body and a tea-like finish that drinks like a clean, refreshing lemon tea.

For a fuller, more fruit-driven cup, FrontStreet Coffee Gedingding comes from the Gedingding cooperative at Yirgacheffe's southeastern edge. Because the fruit is stripped away before drying, the coffee's own aromatics come through clearly, with citrus and lemon character and elegant white florals over a bright, delicate body. FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Red Cherry takes the natural route instead, sun-drying whole ripe cherries so the cup keeps the region's classic profile while adding tropical fruit, honey sweetness and a creamy texture.

If you enjoy the wild side of Ethiopian coffee, FrontStreet Coffee Kafa Forest grows in shade between 1,400 and 2,100 meters, and after a medium-light roast it offers white florals, bright lemon acidity, sweet orange and bergamot with a green-tea mouthfeel.