We’re happy to have some pretty special coffees on our list at the moment – like the Columbian Palermo, with its intense, jammy fruit flavours and which crossed the Atlantic to France by yacht; or the Mexican Finca Irlanda, cultivated using sustainable organic methods and delivering caramelly notes with a touch of lemon.
But the one we’ll put under the spotlight today is from Acconcharcas in the Peruvian province of Cusco. Hold on tight – it’s a story that takes us back to the time of the Incas!
This coffee comes from the Incahuasi cooperative, which won the prestigious national Cup of Excellence in 2020, came in second place in 2019 and 2022, and regularly ranks in the top 10.
"Incahuasi" means "House of the Incas," and the region is considered one of the last refuges of the Incas fleeing the Spanish. But it's not just in the name that the Inca heritage is still present in the cooperative today. It's in their deep respect for nature and even in their working methods, where farmers from neighboring properties help each other, moving from one to the other to harvest successive crops in a spirit of true reciprocal cooperation.
We're lucky enough to have one of their coffees thanks to Quinavie, a small business run by a Peruvian brother and sister team who are continuing the family business started by their coffee-growing parents. Robert is now an agricultural engineer, and his sister Ruth, who has been living in France for several years, spends her time researching and importing the best coffees she can find in Peru and neighboring countries. Like us, she's part of the collaborative roasting group The Beans on Fire.
And now, let's talk about the coffee itself and why it's so good!
100% arabica, it’s a blend of the Typica, Bourbon and Caturra varieties typical of the region. The trees are grown at high altitude – between 1 800 and 2m - which means slower maturation, in turn allowing the development of more pronounced aromas and fruity acidities. Situated at the foot of snow-capped mountains rising up to 300 5m, the farm benefits from a stable micro-climate with cool mornings and evenings and pleasant afternoons, perfect for the coffee trees.
Harvested manually, the coffee cherries are hand picked and sorted so that only the ripe ones are taken. They are pulped, fermented for up to 36 hours, washed and then laid out on drying beds. There, they stay for 14 days, being turned regularly, until the moisture level drops to between 10 and 11,5%, ideal for roasting.
