Peruvian Coffee

Peruvian coffee only makes up around 2% of the global coffee supply, so you may have never tried a delicious coffee from Peru. If you want to change that and are curious about delicious Peruvian coffee, you've come to the right place!

The country has faced plenty of challenges regarding coffee production, ranging from poor infrastructure to mixing coffee beans with other coffee beans during transportation and the bane of many coffee-producing countries: coffee rust. 

Fortunately, things started to improve, which you'll learn about in the history section. Today, Peruvian fair trade coffee is becoming increasingly popular because it is high-quality coffee. This article covers the flavors of coffees from various Peruvian coffee regions, how to best roast Peru coffee, how to brew it, and how it is processed. 

But let’s start with a short history lesson.

The Beginning

Unlike most coffee-producing countries, Peru does not have an interesting story about coffee's introduction. 

We only know that coffee started appearing in Peru in the mid-18th century. Some believe coffee arrived with Christopher Columbus, but that’s debatable and not documented anywhere.

Entering the World Market

Towards the end of the 19th century, in 1895, the Journal of the Society of Arts described Peru as a country growing coffee beans for many years. But most of the coffee grown in Peru was consumed locally. 

It was then that the world started noticing Peru and its coffee. The coffee supply from Asia had suffered because of a coffee plant disease, so the world, especially Europe, needed to find a solution.

In the first years of the 20th century, European countries invested much in Peruvian coffee. This helped the coffee industry in Peru to become bigger, and the serious business of exporting coffee beans began.

England even accepted 2 million hectares of coffee-growing land in exchange for money Peru owed England. It seemed like a wise investment, but then the time of the two World Wars put an end to this.

More Independence for Farmers and More Challenges

England sold its land in Peru, which wasn’t completely bad news. The land was split up between thousands of Peruvian farmers. 

On one hand, this led to more independence; on the other, it led to the loss of an organized infrastructure. Each small farm somehow had to get their coffee to where it needed to be. Exporting the best coffee turned into a challenge.

The second half of the 20th century was challenging for the coffee industry in Peru thanks to a focus on other crops like cocoa, inconsistent quality of coffee beans (because of an issue with processing methods and a lack of processing facilities), guerrilla warfare, and a crash of coffee market prices.

The 1990s and the 21st century saw many improvements in the coffee trade in Peru because international companies like Kraft Foods invested in Peru and helped improve coffee processing and infrastructure. 

Coffee cooperatives like CENFROCAFE started popping up, positively impacting farmers, their farm management techniques, and their access to the world market. 

The 21st Century

A higher volume of coffee beans, improved quality, the beginning of Fair Trade coffee, and better connections turned Peru into one of the world's top 10 coffee-producing and exporting countries.

2014 was a bad year for Peruvian coffee. Thanks to coffee rust, coffee farmers lost many of their plants. Low production led to lower export numbers and a notable decrease in income for the Peruvian coffee industry.

Peru's coffee industry recovered over the years, and coffee production increased moderately over recent years.

Today, 75% of all coffee in Peru is produced by smallholders, and only about 10% of all Peruvian coffee stays within Peru. 

While there is some variety in what coffees from Peru taste and smell like, most have much in common. 

The majority of Peruvian coffee beans are Typica and Caturra. Some farmers also grow Bourbon and Catimor beans, while other varieties are only grown in very small quantities. This means many fair trade beans smell and taste similarly.

Overall, Peruvian coffees are known for their fruity, nutty, and chocolatey flavors, light to medium body, bright acidity, and smooth mouthfeel.  However, there are also Peruvian coffees with hints of citrus or tropical fruit and red wine. 

Coffees from very high-altitude farms tend to display more fruity aromas and flavors.

While you can use all roast levels for Peruvian coffee, a light or medium roast works best to bring out the flavors in these coffee beans. 

Darker roasts taste nice, but you'll not find much left of the beans' original bright and fruity flavors. These best suit Peruvian coffee beans that naturally have a nutty and chocolatey flavor.

For Peruvian beans on the fruity and floral side, a light roast preserves most of these characteristics. In contrast, a medium roast gives you a mellower version with lower acidity.

Seventeen out of Peru's 24 regions grow fair trade coffee, mainly at high altitudes and on small farms. Some are major producers; others only produce small quantities of specialty coffees. We'll look at Peru's nine most interesting coffee regions.

Chanchamayo 

Altitude: 1200 – 1350 meters above sea level

Varieties: Mainly Typica and Caturra, with a small percentage of other varieties 

Flavor Profile: The best coffee grown in Chanchamayo usually has a light to medium body with moderate or mild acidity. Flavors are usually nutty and chocolate with light notes of citrus or caramel.

Good to know: Some of the best coffee comes from this region, which is known for its effort to make coffee farming more sustainable.

Amazonas

Altitude: 800 to 1,800 meters above sea level

Varieties: Mainly Typica and Caturra, with a small percentage of other varieties 

Flavor Profile: Amazonian coffee beans produce a cup with notes of chocolate and hints of velvety fruits. The coffee usually has a medium body and acidity.

Good to know: While many coffee lovers don’t think much about coffee from the Amazonas, the region produces some excellent organic coffees that deserve more attention. 

San Martin

Altitude: 800 to 1,600 masl

Varieties: Mainly Typica and Caturra, with a small percentage of other varieties 

Flavor Profile: Beans grown on San Martin coffee farms generally have delicious, nutty, and chocolatey notes with a moderate acidity and medium body.

Good to know: San Martin will most likely be the biggest coffee-producing region in Peru. It is already home to some big commercial brands like Alto Mayo.

Cajamarca

Altitude: 900 to 2,100 masl

Varieties: Caturra, Typica, and Bourbon

Flavor Profile: Cajamarca produces interesting coffees with hints of peach and plums and sweet vanilla or honey notes. A cup of Cajamarca coffee tends to have a bright acidity and a medium body.

Good to know:  Lima, the capital of Peru, can be found in this region. Lima is home to some excellent coffee roasters and artisan coffee shops.

St Ignacio

Altitude: 900 to 2,000 masl

Varieties: Caturra, Bourbon, Catuai, Catimor

Flavor Profile: Coffee beans from this region produce a balanced cup with medium acidity and a medium body. Flavors can range from tropical flavors with nutty notes to herbal and chocolatey.

Good to know: St Ignacio is part of the larger Cajamarca region but deserves a special mention because of the local farmers’ environmentally friendly cultivation methods. The region won various certifications for its efforts. 

Cuzco 

Altitude: 800 to 1,700 masl

Varieties: Caturra, Typica, and Bourbon

Flavor Profile: Peru single-origin coffee from Cuzco is known for its chocolatey and fruity notes. You’ll usually get a cup with bright acidity and a medium body.

Good to know: This is the coffee region with the famous Maya ruins Machu Picchu, which makes it a great travel destination for coffee lovers who want to experience Peru's culture, history, and coffee at the same time. Plus, the region's coffee regularly wins awards for its quality coffees.

Ayacucho

Altitude: 1,000 to 1,800 masl

Varieties: Caturra and Typica

Flavor Profile: Peru single-origin coffee from Ayacucho includes a variety of flavors ranging from cocoa and cereals to black fruits and caramel. These coffees have a medium acidity and a bold body.

Good to know: Ayacucho is a newer coffee-producing region but already made a name for itself by producing interesting coffees.

Puno

Altitude: 800 to 1,800 masl

Varieties: Caturra, Typica, and Bourbon

Flavor Profile: Puno coffees usually have a medium to high acidity and a medium body. There are various flavors, including fruity, herbal, and chocolatey notes.

Good to know: Puno is more famous for Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world, than for coffee. Not much coffee is produced in the region, but the coffee from Puno is high quality - a good example of quality over quantity.

Pasco

Altitude: 1,000 to 1,800 masl

Varieties: Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, and a small quantity of high-quality Gesha

Flavor Profile: Coffee from Pasco is mainly known for its savory and chocolate notes, but there are also coffees with hints of citrus, floral, and fruit. The body is usually medium with a bright acidity.

Good to know:  Pasco does not produce much coffee because of its climate, which isn't perfect for coffee plants, but you can find some delicious coffees here.

Peru Coffee Bean Varietals

Typica

Typica is a variety you'll find in many coffee-producing countries. Even though they are not as disease-resistant as newer varieties, Typica beans are popular because they produce a delicious cup with a mild sweetness, medium body, and bright acidity. There are usually citrusy and fruity notes.

Bourbon 

Bourbon is another variety that’s popular worldwide. These beans give you a smooth, mild, and sweet cup of coffee with a medium body and a balanced acidity. Bourbon beans can fall victim to coffee rust and coffee berry disease if not protected properly. There are also various sub-varieties like Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, and Pink Bourbon.

Catimor 

Catimor was created to get the best of Caturra (small plant size) and Timor (disease-resistance) beans. The hybrid bean ended up being a hardy, compact plant that is popular for farms with limited space. The beans usually result in a medium cup, but the flavor depends greatly on a farm's altitude and the processing method.

Caturra

Caturra is a Bourbon mutation from Brazil. These coffee plants are short, so they're popular for farms that use machinery for their harvest. Flavor-wise, these beans give you a bright acidity with floral notes and hints of citrus.

Most Common Processing Method

The majority of coffee in Peru is wet-processed. For wet processing, coffee cherries are pulped after harvesting to remove the pulp from around the bean. Only the mucilage, a sweet, sticky layer, is left around the coffee bean.

The bean is then fermented. During that process, the bean absorbs some of the sugars from the mucilage. 

The next step is washing the beans so only the coffee bean is left. The bean is then dried and hulled. The drying usually happens under the sun in Peru. 

Recently, centralized drying facilities became useful for Peruvian coffee farmers, especially for farmers with limited space. There, drying can happen in drying sheds, with the help of drying machines, or just under the sun.

Other Processing Methods

While the washed process is the most common, Peruvian coffee farmers also use the following:

• The Natural Process: The whole coffee cherry is dried, and the bean is only extracted after drying. This method is most popular in regions that have limited access to water.
• Honey Process: This is a hybrid of washed and natural, where most of the fruit is removed from around the bean, but the mucilage is left around the bean. The bean is then dried with the mucilage.
• Anaerobic Process: The anaerobic process is becoming more popular in Peru. The coffee cherries are fermented in airtight containers before the bean is extracted and dried.
• Experimental Processing Methods: While not very popular, some farmers experiment with extended fermentation, carbonic maceration, and other methods. This mainly has to do with wanting to appeal to specific markets.

You can use various brewing methods to enjoy a coffee from Peru.

Pour-over gives you full control over the brewing process. They work well with Peruvian coffees and bring out the nuanced flavors. It's best to use a medium to fine-grind. A tool like the V60 makes the pour-over method easy and is perfect for making one perfect cup of coffee. All you need to do is place a paper filter into the V60, add the ground coffee, and slowly pour hot water over the grounds.

The Aeropress is also a good way to brew Peruvian coffee because you can adjust variables like water temperature and steep time. If done right, you'll get a nice, clean, well-extracted cup full of flavor.

A French press works well with Peruvian coffee if you enjoy a fuller-bodied brew. You can let the coffee steep for longer to get a stronger coffee with a good body. But you can also let the coffee steep briefly if you prefer something milder.

If you have a proper espresso machine, you can use Peruvian coffee to make a delightful espresso base for drinks like cappuccinos, lattes, flat whites, and more.
Peruvian coffee works very well as a cold brew, one of the most popular ways Peruvians drink coffee. The coffee's bright and fruity notes really come out in a cold brew because of the extended steeping process.