Introduction to Peruvian boutique coffee production area: What are the flavor and taste characteristics of Cajamarca washed rose summer?

Speaking of Peruvian coffee, many friends may feel a little unfamiliar, because it is not as well-known as the current mainstream coffees in the region, and is relatively small. This does not mean that the quality of Peruvian coffee is worrying, because it is only relatively "low-key".

Complex and changeable flavors and mild and balanced taste are the two characteristics that distinguish Peruvian coffee from other South American coffees, but they are not limited to this. Especially in recent years, Peruvian coffee has won a large number of fans with its extremely high cleanliness, which has allowed Peruvian coffee to rise rapidly in the international market and become a rising star in the coffee industry. So the theme that Qianjie wants to share today is this rising star in the coffee industry-Peruvian Coffee.

National profile of Peru

In ancient Indian languages, Peru has the meaning of "fertile land/grain warehouse" because the local agricultural development is very prosperous. Peru's geographical location is on the western edge of South America, bordering five countries! It is bounded by Brazil in the east, Chile in the south, Colombia and Ecuador in the north, Bolivia in the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean in the west. It has a coastline of about 2414 kilometers.

Although Peru's territory cannot be described as vast, it integrates plateaus, mountains, deserts and coasts. Its complex and rich natural resources and diverse climate make Peru, like Colombia, an excellent place to grow coffee. Coffee cultivation in Peru is mainly concentrated in the high-altitude areas of the Andes Mountains. The Andes Mountains run through the north and south of Peru. The average altitude of its coffee growing area is 1,200 to 2,000 meters. Abundant rainfall, large temperature differences between day and night, and fertile volcanic soil have laid a solid foundation for the growth of high-quality coffee.

As can be seen from the map, the main coffee growing areas in Peru can be divided into three parts: northern production areas, central production areas, and southern production areas.

The coffee planting area in the northern region accounts for 43% of Peru's national output, with an average altitude of 1250m to 1950m; the coffee planting area in the central region accounts for 34% of Peru's national output, with an average altitude of 1,200 to 2,000 m; The coffee planting area in the southern region accounts for 23% of Peru's national output, with an average altitude of 900 to 2,050 m.

History of coffee development in Peru

As Peru's second largest agricultural export product (the first is asparagus), coffee occupies an important position in the national economy and rural society. According to data from the Peruvian Coffee Chamber of Commerce (Junta Nacional del Café), Peru's coffee exports will reach 220,000 tons in 2024, ranking ninth in total output in the world, while organic coffee production ranks first in the world, with an output value of approximately US$1.103 billion. According to reports, Peruvian coffee is mainly sold to the United States, Germany and other Nordic countries.

However, the rise of Peru's coffee industry was not achieved overnight. Its development process is closely related to colonial heritage, land reform, international market fluctuations and ecological protection movements. So next, we will briefly introduce the history of coffee development in Peru from Qianjie.

At the end of the 18th century, coffee was introduced to Peru by Spanish colonists. It was initially cultivated only as an ornamental in the courtyard; but after Peru's independence in 1821, the government began to encourage people to grow cash crops to replace the declining silver industry; By 1850, influenced by the Brazilian coffee boom and leaf rust sweeping overseas production areas, European immigrants began to open coffee plantations in Cajamarca in central and northern Peru. These European immigrants brought advanced cultivation techniques, while the labor force relied on indigenous people and indentured Chinese workers. Since then, the destiny gear of Peruvian coffee began to turn.

When the time came to the end of the 19th century, the production model of Peruvian coffee began to be dominated by large manors (friends who didn't know it can move to the previous article on the street). According to historians, nearly 80% of Peruvian coffee production in 1890 was exported from large estates. One disadvantage of this framework structure is that Peru's coffee economy will be highly dependent on the international market. So when the Great Depression occurred in 1929, serious social unrest was triggered when coffee prices plummeted by 60%.

It was not until the land reform (Ley de Reforma Agraria) implemented after the military government of Juan Velasco came to power in 1968 that this completely changed the pattern of Peru's coffee industry. The government allocated millions of hectares of land to individual farmers, large farms collapsed, and Peru's coffee production body gradually transformed from farms to small farmers.

Like most farmers in Africa, small coffee farmers in Peru grow an average area of about 2 hectares. Although such a shift has improved social fairness, it has also made technology promotion more difficult. Because there are many and too scattered farmers, it is very difficult to gather training together, and production efficiency is reduced as a result.

It was not until 1980 that coffee cooperatives were established in northern Peru with the support of the German Church Organization (MISEREOR) and the Fair Trade Agency, which was able to break the stagnant coffee industry. The existence of cooperatives can help farmers reduce production costs, achieving this goal by centrally purchasing agricultural materials and sharing processing equipment. This model was strengthened after the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, and Peruvian coffee began to enter the high-end market under labels such as "organic cultivation" and "Rainforest Alliance certification."

(Qianjie briefly mentioned here: Organic farming emphasizes the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides to grow crops, while the Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization working in the intersection of agriculture, forestry and commerce. Only if it meets the needs of organic farming can farms obtain its most authoritative third-party certification. The "frog beans" often mentioned in Qianjie refer to coffee beans certified by the Rainforest Alliance. For details, refer to this article → "Portal")

By 2003, Peru had become the world's number one organic coffee producer, as previously mentioned, because Peru's organic certification area reached 110,000 hectares. This achievement cannot be achieved without the unique geographical conditions of the Andes Mountains (high altitude and few pests) and the technical support of non-governmental organizations. At this point, the Peruvian coffee industry has finally emerged and can be seen by more coffee lovers in the boutique market.

of Peru

Like most South American countries, the main coffee cultivated in Peru is Arabica. However, unlike most South American countries, the classification system of Peruvian coffee is based on altitude/hardness classification, supplemented by other classification methods.

The so-called altitude classification method is a method of grading coffee beans based on the altitude at which they are grown. The higher the altitude at which coffee beans are grown, the higher the hardness of the coffee beans. Because the high-altitude climate will delay the growth of coffee beans, allowing them to have more growth time and accumulate more nutrients. The gentleness and balance mentioned in Qianjie at the beginning is the characteristic of high-altitude Peruvian coffee beans. The richer the substances in the coffee beans, the better the taste and taste will be.

Because the local water resources are very rich, Peruvian coffee is mainly processed by washing it with water. The traditional washing treatment is to first pour the harvested coffee cherries into water for flotation, pick out the bad fruits floating on the surface, and then use a peeler to remove the peel and pulp of the coffee; then pour the shelled beans with pectin into the sink for fermentation to remove the pectin; then move the processed shelled beans to a drying yard for drying and drying. Finally, you only need to pour the dried shelled beans into a peeling machine to remove the shells, and the treatment is complete.

Because washing can well screen out flaws and bad fruits, and the fermentation degree is shallower and better controlled, the coffee produced by washing will have a very high degree of cleanliness. Not only that, washed Peruvian coffee is not only that, in addition to its high cleanliness, it also has a soft and delicate fruit acidity and a mellow and silky taste, so it has only gained a large number of fans over the years.

As he spoke, Qianjie couldn't help but drool. In order to taste the delicacy of Peruvian coffee, Qianjie specially bought a washed rose summer bean. This bean is produced from Cajamarca, the most important boutique coffee producing area in northern Peru.

The Cajamarca production area is close to the Ecuadorian border and is located at high altitudes in the Andes Mountains. This production area not only has fertile volcanic soil, rich and diverse micro-climate, but also has a high altitude that increases the temperature difference between day and night. It can be said to be a very ideal coffee growing production area. So it is not difficult to understand why European immigrants chose it as the main planting base when they opened plantations in Peru.

With the long development, coffee has gradually become an important part of Cajamarca's local economy and culture. Because local small-scale farmers have experience and technology that are ahead of other producing areas, the coffee in this producing area will have more outstanding quality and is the "popular fried chicken" in the current boutique coffee circle.

In addition to older varieties like Iron Picas, Cajamarca also grows popular varieties like Rose Summer. Therefore, the Peruvian coffee that Qianjie bought this time chose the washed rose summer from the Cajamarca region! In order to highlight the fragrance of this rose summer and the flavor of the region, Qianjie chose a medium and shallow baking curve to "cook."

Front Street Coffee: Peru·Cajamarca Crabbe Country: Peruvian Production Area: Cajamarca Altitude: 1,800 - 1,950 meters Variety: Crabbe Treatment: Washing Method Grade: SHB Flavor: White floral, prune, citrus, Juicy, black tea

During the cup test, Qianjie felt that the dry aroma of this Peruvian rose summer was very strong, and the aroma of white flowers, berries, plum, and citrus could be clearly felt. After injecting hot water, you can smell the sweet aroma of peaches and caramel.

When the coffee enters the entrance, the front street first feels the elegant white flower fragrance, and then the full acidity of grapes, citrus, and prune juice. After swallowing, there is still a black tea and caramel-like aftertaste in the mouth. The taste is thick but also very Clean, the unique taste is like containing a plum sugar. As the temperature drops slightly, the bright acid begins to be released, and the juice feeling becomes more and more obvious. You can drink the round sweetness of apricots, which is very comfortable!

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