Peruvian Coffee: What are Organic Coffee Beans? The Difference Between Organic and Regular Coffee Beans

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Before discussing Peruvian coffee, let's first understand organic coffee. Why hasn't Peruvian coffee been very active in the specialty market? FrontStreet Coffee will start by explaining Peru's organic coffee.

What is Organic Coffee?

Many coffee-producing countries use large amounts of chemical fertilizers and pesticides when growing coffee to suppress pests and leaf rust, while also increasing yields. However, these chemicals destroy the soil's natural nutrients, penetrate underground to pollute groundwater and rivers, and as production expands, soil pollution becomes increasingly severe. Inorganic cultivation using chemical fertilizers, plus switching to sun-tolerant varieties like Caturra and Catuai that don't require shade, causes immeasurable damage to the natural ecosystem.

Organic coffee can be called conscience coffee, emphasizing the non-use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, instead using organic fertilizers, kitchen waste, and compost. It uses ancient shade cultivation methods, which恰好 happen to be the favorite growing method for ancient Typica and Bourbon coffee trees. However, organic farming costs are high, so yields are relatively lower.

Organic coffee needs certification from international organizations to have credibility. Basically, the more underdeveloped the country, the more natural the coffee cultivation methods, but due to poverty, they lose opportunities for organic certification.

Why Peru's Activity in the Specialty Coffee Market is Limited by Organic Coffee?

Alright, let's get to the main point. Peru's organic coffee production costs are low, and its export price is the lowest among organic coffees, which has caused dissatisfaction among many producing countries, who believe Peru is intentionally disrupting the market. Peru has excellent mountains and water, making it easy to grow high-quality strictly hard beans, but the low-price market strategy affects coffee quality. Coffee farmers, focusing on yield, will neglect processing and sorting defective beans. Although organic coffee is sold at low prices, it doesn't mean Peru's specialty coffee has disappeared. In the 2010 SCAA cupping competition, a Typica from the Ccochaviva Cooperative in the Puno production area of southeastern Peru scored 89.2, narrowly defeating La Esmeralda's Geisha coffee which scored 89.125, winning fifth place. This also proved to the world that Peruvian coffee is an extremely valuable treasure at a very reasonable price.

Peruvian Coffee Production Areas

Peru is located in western South America with a coastline of 2,254 kilometers. The Andes Mountains run north to south, with mountains covering one-third of the country's area. It belongs to the tropical desert zone with a dry and mild climate. Rich microclimates, large day-night temperature differences, and like Colombia, it's a naturally gifted coffee paradise. Peru mainly cultivates Typica, Caturra, and Catimor, with cultivation altitudes of 1,000-1,800 meters.

Specifically in Peru's three coffee production areas in the north, central, and south regions, 70% of coffee varieties are Typica, 20% are Caturra, and the rest are Catimor and other varieties. Due to Peru's complex and diverse natural resources and rich cultural heritage, coffees produced in different regions each have their own characteristics.

Northern Region

The northern coffee cultivation area accounts for 43% of Peru's total, covering Amazonas, Cajamarca, Piura, and San Martin regions, with altitudes of 1,250-1,950m. Coffee produced in the north has higher acidity, rich flavor, and is aromatic, with moderate body and aftertaste. Some describe it as "having more chocolate and nutty flavors than southern coffee."

Central Region

The central coffee cultivation area accounts for 34% of Peru's total, covering Huánuco, Junín, Pasco, and Ucayali regions, with altitudes of 800-1,200m. The main characteristic of coffee in the central region is its just-right acidity, light and gentle aroma, smooth but not overly heavy body, quietly awakening your taste buds.

Southern Region

The southern coffee cultivation area accounts for 23% of Peru's total, covering Apurímac, Ayacucho, Cusco, Madre de Dios, and Puno regions, with altitudes of 900-2,050m. Crossing the Andes Mountains, accompanied by ancient Inca-era terraces, this is the highland plateau of southern Peru and also the origin of excellently bodied coffee. Careful tasting reveals unique flavors with a hint of sweet aftertaste.

Peruvian Coffee Grading System

In Peru, high-altitude beans are typically graded by cultivation altitude, while medium and low-altitude beans are graded by green bean size. Production areas also use "defect count" as auxiliary grading, while buyers use their own "cupping quality" as assistance. Basically, the higher the altitude where coffee trees grow, the harder the coffee beans will be. This is because factors like low temperature, short sunlight hours, and high humidity cause coffee to grow more slowly, producing denser fruits. The coffee's various flavor aspects, such as acidity and sweetness, will be more saturated.

Strictly High Bean (SHB): Strictly Hard Bean - Over 1,350m

High Bean (HB): Hard Bean - 1,200-1,350m

Basically, the higher the altitude where coffee trees grow, the harder the coffee beans will be. This is because factors like low temperature, short sunlight hours, and high humidity cause coffee to grow more slowly, producing denser fruits. The coffee's various flavor aspects, such as acidity and sweetness, will be more saturated.

Peruvian Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Due to Peru's abundant water resources, the traditional processing method is mainly washed. The harvested cherries are processed by a pulping machine to separate most of the pulp from the coffee beans, then the parchment beans are guided to a clean water tank, soaked in water for fermentation to completely remove the remaining pulp layer. In the past (about five years ago), the washed method was often the preferred choice for processing good coffee beans.

Through water processing, unripe and defective beans are selected out due to buoyancy, and the fermentation process is easier to control. Therefore, unlike natural processed beans which may have impure flavors, washed coffee presents distinct fruit acidity, slightly stronger complexity, and cleaner cup characteristics (without any negative flavors like astringency or sharpness). However, precisely because it's too "clean," the richness of flavor is also somewhat weaker.

FrontStreet Coffee's Roasting Recommendations

Exceptional quality Peruvian coffee has rich aroma, smooth mouthfeel, distinct layers, rich sweetness, and contains elegant and mild acidity. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters recommend using a medium-dark roast level to showcase its flavor characteristics.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee uses a Kono dripper for brewing Peruvian coffee. The Kono's ribs don't even reach half the height of the dripper. This design is actually to ensure that after wetting the dripper, it tightly adheres to the dripper wall for the purpose of restricting airflow. This increases the water absorption time of the coffee grounds, resulting in more uniform overall extraction and enhanced body and rich mouthfeel. Additionally, the groove structure at the bottom of the Kono dripper is the key design that creates a siphon effect during subsequent brewing.

Recommended water temperature: 87-88°C

Grind size: Fujiyama鬼齿 4.5 (coarse sugar size)

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Coffee amount: 15 grams

FrontStreet Coffee's brewing method: Use 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour in small circular motions to 125g for segmentation. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper (timing starts from the bloom). Extraction time: 2'00''-2'10''.

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