Tasting Notes: Baking Spices, Cocoa, Toast
Several Smallholder Farmers | Region: Namballe, Peru | Varietal: Caturra, Catimor, Pache, Bourbon | Mill/Washing Station: On the Farms | Importer: Red Fox | Processing: Washed | Altitude: 1,600–1,800 MASL
Our average cupping score: 86
About the Producers
Located in northern Peru’s San Ignacio province near the Ecuador border, Namballe district lies within the buffer zone of the Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary. This sanctuary protects Peru’s rare, mist-covered páramo ecosystem — southernmost in the Andes — along with endangered spectacled bears and critically endangered highland tapirs. It also safeguards 16 lagoons, the Manchara petroglyphs, and the Coyona pre-Inca citadel. Local coffee growers, on one-to-two-hectare farms, have banned hunting and focus on environmental stewardship. Growing Caturra, Bourbon, and Catimor under shade trees, they ferment coffee 15–20 hours, then dry it 10–15 days on raised beds or solar dryers before delivering parchment to nearby roads.
What makes this coffee stand out
In Peru’s Namballe district, coffee farmers practice strong environmental stewardship within the buffer zone of the Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary. They have completely banned hunting to protect endangered species like the spectacled bear and highland tapir. Growing Caturra, Bourbon, and Catimor on small one-to-two-hectare farms, they use beneficial shade trees such as Albizia and the ice-cream bean tree, which support biodiversity and soil health. Farmers rely on organic fertilizers and prioritize subsistence crops alongside coffee to maintain ecological balance. Their careful fermentation and solar drying methods further reduce environmental impact, ensuring that coffee production helps preserve the rare, mist-covered páramo ecosystem and its vital water basins.
Pour over recipe:
Ratio: 18g coffee, 274g water | Grind: Medium-coarse | Water: 200F
0:00 60 g bloom, gentle
0:45 200 g medium height, create agitation
(just before bed dries) 274 very gentle, very slow
Target brew time 3:15
