peru - aromas del valle

this coffee grows in the callayuc and cutervo provinces of cajamarca — the third largest coffee region in northern peru. the whole region sits in the andes: altitude, dense humid forest and fertile soil add up to exactly the conditions coffee wants. the average temperature is around 24 °c, and this particular plot lies at 1890 metres.

these are remote areas, home to long-established indigenous communities for whom farming and coffee are the main livelihood. as everywhere in peru, this is not estate coffee: a typical holding is 2–3 hectares worked by the family itself.

finca el cementerio is one of more than 300 small farms supported by aromas del valle, a local organisation founded in 2015 by merly cruz rivera and ivan cruz rivera. the variety is catimor, a hardy hybrid that copes well with peruvian altitude and humidity. harvest runs from june to october.

the idea behind the method is simple: take the fruit off the bean right after picking, before it can leave its mark on the flavour.

cherries are received at the mill the same day and processing starts the next morning. water comes first — the cherries are stirred through and the ones that float are discarded, since a floater is hollow or damaged. the rest go through the depulper, and what is left of the mucilage is taken off by fermentation and washing.

drying happens in guardiolas, drum dryers that hold a steady regime until moisture reaches 12%. the coffee then rests in parchment for one to two months, and is hulled just before it ships for export.

the result is a reliably clean cup: no layer of fruit, clear acidity, transparent structure.

it opens on fresh green apple: lively acidity, but rounded, with no sharp edges. it warms into ripe cherry — juicy, with a faint stone-fruit bitterness that gives the cup some depth. the finish is nutty: dense, faintly buttery, long.

medium body, even profile, very easy to drink. it works as filter and as espresso, and in milk the nutty side steps forward.