Why we love Peruvian Coffee
If you ever decide to travel to Peru, try to visit during period from June to September because that is when most specialty coffees are harvested. The coffee trees love the climate and the rich soils. Most plantations grow their coffee at high altitudes of over 3,000ft where they find the perfect humidity and slopes of the Andes Mountains which gives Peruvian Coffee its great flavor. The Greyt Coffee team loves a cup of coffee from this South American gem for its fruity flavors and rich bodies. We summarized the major coffee growing regions below for you so you can learn more about Peru as one of the best high quality coffee producers worldwide.
Peru only ranks 11 for worldwide coffee production but for Arabica Beans, it actually claims fifth place. Most of the coffee is handled in wet processing
There are ten coffee producing regions which all have different characteristics.
- Amazonas
- Ayacucho
- Cajamarca
- Cusco
- Huánuco
- Junín
- Pasco
- Piura
- Puno
- San Martín
The Amazonas Region is located in the north of Peru where the climate is warm and elevation ranges between 3,000 and 7,000ft. The typical varieties here are Caturra, Typica, and Catimor. Acidity and body are usually pretty high but come with a nice fruity and sweet flavor.
In the south, you can find the Ayacucho Region. With altitudes ranging between 3,000 and 5,000ft, coffee enjoys a little warmer temperatures and more rainfall than in the Amazonas region resulting in a nice floral, fruity but also sweet flavor profile with decent body and acidity.
A similar tasting profile has coffee from the Cajamarca Region which is located in the north of the country, just west of the Amazonas Region. Coffee grows on soils with PH values under 5 at altitudes of 3,000 to 6,500ft giving it a high acidity and bold body but also a nice tropical fruity flavor with notes of caramel and honey.
Not far away from Ayacucho is the Cusco Region where the average temperature is only ~62F and annual rainfall is only around 1,300mm (Coffee trees usually need at least 1,500m). Located in the South of Peru, the flavor profile includes peachy fruit notes as well as hints of dark chocolate, a medium body and mild acidity.
The Huánuco Region is something for visitors who are not strictly focused on coffee products but also like very scenic landscapes. But for all those who are ready to pack their suitcases now, be prepared for a lot of rainfall. There is no month without rainfall and the wettest lasting six months from October until March. The region doesn't produce a lot of coffee for the international market but if you can get your hand on some it will deliver fruity apple/pear flavors with a light body.
If you like to add some nutty or chocolaty flavors to a full body, high acidity coffee, then the Junín Region should be your selection of choice. Located in central Peru, where temperatures and rainfall are high, the farmers are able to harvest beans with a nice dark chocolate flavor and hints of pineapple and honey.
From April until August, coffee is harvested in the Pasco Region in Central Peru. If you are looking for some dried fruit flavors and get excited about fruity, chocolaty flavors, this region will bring you the best satisfaction for your taste buds. A lush and rich acidity and a medium body can be found in beans from this region.
In the most northeast part of Peru you will find the Piura Region, where not a lot of Peru coffee is harvested but beans surprise with a very sweet and fruity flavor. Piura doesn't experience much rain throughout the year and soil is not as acidly as in other regions. Still, coffee from here usually shows higher acidity and full body.
A very small coffee planting are is the Puno Region in southwest Peru. We at Greyt Coffee heard about Puno the first time in 2018 when Vicentina Palero won the prize for Best Quality Coffee award in the small producer category at the Seattle Global Specialty Coffee EXPO. Similar to many of the other Peruvian Coffee regions, Puno beans show sweet fruity flavors with hints of cherry and peach.
The San Martin Region in the North of Peru is our last one we want to mention. It's one of Peru's biggest coffee growing regions where trees grow at altitudes ranging only between 3,000 and 4,000ft. The flavor profile resembles many others of Peru with a strong focus on fruity peachy flavors, rich acidity and a medium body.
You will find Single Origin Peruvian Coffee as Dark Roast in our store. Just click here
