Roaster’s Report - Peru Sandia

Source: Red Fox

Country: Peru

Growing region: Puno

Elevation: 1700-2000 masl

Coffee varieties Caturra, Typica, Catimor

Processing: Washed

Cupping Score: 86

Background Details

Within the massive Sandia Valley lie many smaller valleys, each hosting unique coffee-producing communities of smallholder farmers averaging just 2.5 hectares of coffee land. Due to a UN-led replanting project in the 80s, much of Sandia Valley grows Bourbon-variety coffee, offering an elegant, floral, honeyed, and dynamically citric character, or, alternately, a rich, full-bodied, and incredibly sweet malic red apple or pear aspect. These coffees are entirely unique to Puno, distinct from what you’ll find in other regions of Peru, and offer something for every palate.

All of these farmers are small in terms of their landholding. Harvest period in Sandia, Puno is between August and October They all use hand crank de-pulping machines, ferment in concrete tanks and wash in the same tanks. A few of them have channels for a density separation after washing. The climate can be rainy, also similar to Colombia, so many producers use parabolic beds for drying. The cooperative also offers drying services at their receiving stations meaning that they’ll dry coffee to proper moisture levels for the farmers.

Green coffee transparency: 770lbs @ $4.55/lb, March 2022 (Commodity coffee price: $2.11/lb. Why is this important? Coffee pricing is complex and multifaceted, and sharing what we paid is an incomplete picture, but we believe in sharing the data we have available, hoping that will embolden others to do the same, with the ultimate goal of getting producers fairer pay for their excellent work.)

Length of Relationship: Royal Coffee, since 2021. Sandia since 2022

If you want to learn more about how we would brew this coffee, click here for our brew guides.