When picking out the beans for your daily coffee you may regularly have Brazilian or Columbian coffee. You may be surprised to know that Peru also grows and exports over 3.2 billion 60 kg bags of coffee beans every year. This makes them the second-highest export of coffee after Mexico.
Peruvian coffee is usually a mildly acidic blend of coffee beans that are flavorful and aromatic. Peruvian blends are light-bodied and great for morning coffee blends. However, beans from Peru are also used in dark roast blends and as a base for flavored coffees because of their light flavor. The flavors that usually stand out in the best Peruvian coffees are vanilla, nutty, and subtly sweet that sets it apart from all other beans.
The History of Peruvian Coffee
Coffee production started in Peru in the 1700s and has been going on since then. There are heirloom plants still being grown today. Today there are over 110,000 coffee growers in Peru. These farmers usually live on small plots of land and are not run by any corporation. Peru has a global reputation for growing traditionally cultivated, and high quality Arabica beans. These Peruvian farmers have micro growing operations and hand pick ripe coffee cherries from May to September. Most farmers hand process the cherries from the pulping to fermentation.
After the coffee beans have been prepared farmers carry these beans to the nearest town, a trip that can take up to eight hours to sell their produce. Because of the long travel times and lack of warehouse storage, many times these farmers have to sell their beans at vastly discounted prices to traders.
Fair Trade and the Future for Peruvian Coffee
With new financial instruments and trading practices, Peruvian farmers now belong to organizations that help them grow their businesses. Peru has quickly become one of the largest supplies of Fair Trade certified coffee globally.
The increased prices and international development agencies has helped Peruvian farmers improve their coffee quality, processing, exporting, and training for farmers to become certified organic producers.
Peruvian Coffee Flavor Profile
As we said before Peruvian coffee beans are mellow and pleasant with some mild acidity and light body.
Chanchamayo Beans
Each crop is unique and there are different flavors that change every year. Wet processed coffee from Chanchamayo Valley in Peru has a reputation for the best-processed coffee. The highest grade of coffee is AAA and these Certified Organic farmers provide many of the greatest specialty coffees.
These beans exhibit a medium / light body with bright acidity and delightful flavors. When brewed, good Chanchamayo beans are smooth and delicate with a nutty and chocolate flavor with a sweet citrusy aftertaste.
Urubamba Beans
Urubamba beans are grown in the southern regions of Peru near Cusco and Machu Picchu. This coffee is special and has a rich aroma that is very unique. One of the reasons why they are so special is because of the area they are grown in. They are grown on the western slopes of the Andes mountains at high elevations of about 1,200 meters above sea level or higher. This makes the beans more flavorful.
Where to Buy Peruvian Coffee Beans
With all this talk about how great Peruvian coffee beans are, you may be wondering where you can buy some. Here is a list of our favorite Peruvian coffee brands.
Tres Cumbrews, Whole Bean, Peruvian Coffee
Volcania Coffee provides a great organic cup of coffee from volcanic soil. This is what sets them apart is their attention to detail and growing techniques. These are painstakingly sourced from areas with rare volcanic soil.
Tres Cumbres sources from the Chanchamayo region and is grown on the slopes of the Andes mountains.
Java Planet, Organic Whole Bean, Peruvian Single Origin Coffee
Java Planet also sells a great tasting coffee with no bitter or burnt taste. This is due to their mastery of temperature control during roasting. They do not use any pesticides on their arabica beans and grow all their beans responsibly. They treat their workers and the environment with care. Best of all they are family run and operated so they have excellent customer service.
Best Way to Roast and Brew Peruvian Coffee Beans
If you read out how to roast coffee at home article you may know how to roast your beans yourself. Here are some tips on roasting beans from Peru.
When roasting your beans you want to extenuate their unique characteristics. The mildness and lack of bitterness make these a great coffee for a medium to dark roast coffee. A medium roast draws out the gentleness of the bean and flavor profiles of the unique bean. With darker roasts, you bring out more chocolaty and deep flavors. This should be done just enough to bring out the natural oils and flavors, but not burnt the bean. This is just a little bit after the second crack.
Brewing Peruvian Coffee
Due to how mild these beans are they are perfect for many types of brewing. Any brewing method works and will yield you a tasty result.
- Drip
- Espresso
- Pour Over
- French Press
- Stove-top
- Percolator
- And many more…
Wrapping up
The last and easiest step is drinking your coffee! Let us know what you think about Peruvian coffee and if you’ve ever tried it.