Peruvian coffee is a well-balanced aromatic coffee that has very little acidity. It’s a light body coffee with hints of sweetness. There are chocolatey and nutty notes too in Peruvian coffee.
With so many people relying on coffee every single day, there are just so many varieties of coffees that you haven’t even heard of. There’s just a lot to experience.
Have you ever wondered about what do people from other American continents drink? Like what do the people of Peru drink in terms of coffee? The obvious answer is Peruvian coffee but what does this coffee entail?
Let’s find out.
What is Peruvian Coffee?
Peruvian coffee is a mild and mellow coffee that is less acidic. It’s known for its well-balanced flavors and smooth mouthfeel.
Americans are known to drink a lot of coffee. About 7 out of 10 people in America have a cup of joe weekly while 62% have it daily. That’s a lot of caffeine. (But Americans don’t drink it nearly as much as Finland though!)
With that much coffee consumption, it’s not impossible that people have stumbled across Peruvian coffee. Peruvian coffee carries a well-balanced flavor with chocolate undertones. The coffee is mostly grown in high altitudes.
It’s apparently one of the bests out of there in the market so it must be pretty good.
Take a look at this video I found which is so interesting.
What Makes Peruvian Coffee Unique?
Peruvian coffee is unique because of the soil i.e the location that is grown and the processing of the raw coffee beans. And, it’s one of the only fair trade and organic coffee is grown in the world.
There are many kinds of plants grown in the world. And each kind of plant absorbs the characteristics of the soil or the location that it’s grown in. Like Indonesian coffee. Since it grows in volcanic ash mixed soil, the coffee beans develop a musty earthy taste with tobacco and leather notes.
Here are the reasons why Peruvian coffee is so unique.
- Location (soil)
- Wet Processing
- Fair Trade
- Organic
Location
The regions where coffee is grown in Peru, are full of valleys and mountains. The coffee plants grown there are grown on an elevation of about 3000 feet to 6000 feet. And higher altitudes give the coffee a complex taste. It enables the coffee plant to develop even the slightest of notes that are very prevalent in the final brew. You can read about how altitude affects the final quality of coffee here if you’re interested to know more.
Plus, the mountainous range gives the Peruvian coffee floral notes and makes it taste sweeter.
Wet Processing
Another factor responsible for making Peruvian coffee so unique is the way the raw coffee is processed in order to extract the bean.
The coffee that we know doesn’t start off like that. The fruit of the coffee plant contains beans. And in order to get them out, the Peruvian farmers first pulp them and then ferment them.
The fermentation process adds to the complexity of flavors. Then these fermented beans are washed ensuring the breaking of mucilage. Then these are sun-dried. The tedious process lets the raw coffee beans develop flavors.
Fair Trade & Organic
You must have heard the term Fair Trade written on many products like coffee, coffee, rice, etc. But some of you might not be familiar with what it actually means.
Fair Trade is a movement that started in the 1950s. It was because the local farmers were struggling to cover their expense of the produce. And Fair Trade meant that there are happy with the pay they get in return for the amount of work they put in.
So, if you have this label on your product, you can have peace of mind knowing your product was traded ethically, providing better working conditions, improving livelihoods, and protecting the environment.
And another thing to add here is that Peru is the only country that has organic coffee. Since the coffee plantation is so high, they don’t have a very solid infrastructure which makes it is difficult to get chemicals and pesticides to be brought there. So naturally, the coffee plants are 100% organic.
How Do Peruvians Drink Their Coffee?
Peruvians drink black coffee made through a French press or through the pour-over method. Plus, they prefer using a metal filter only.
Unlike any other beverage, coffee is the most complex and time-consuming. I say time-consuming because there’s just so much. A single cup of coffee that resembles golden brown flavored water has many layers to it. You see, each factor affects the way coffee turns out.
Peruvians love their coffees made with French press, pour-over method, and even espresso. Since the coffee beans produced here hold up well, they are usually consumed at a medium to dark roast level. As the final brew, Peruvian people love to drink black coffee with little to no milk foam. They also put sugar which is one teaspoon per cup.
But why only these three ways of brewing coffee?
Pour Over
The Peruvian people love to drink coffee which is made by the pour-over method as this lets them have full control of the brewing and they can easily tweak things to make their desired cup.
Espresso
Espresso is one of the most potent and strong coffees around the world. It is made using fine grounds, and water is added using pressure to extract most of the coffee compounds. And the Peruvian coffee beans are perfect for this. Since they’re low in acid level and have a milder taste, the espresso made with these will not have that astringent taste.
French Press
The French press uses full immersion brewing. This means that the coffee grounds get fully immersed in the water. And then it steeps for 4 minutes before being poured out to drink.
The Peruvian coffee used in the French press makes for a deliciously strong cup of coffee that isn’t as bitter.
Below is a table of the nutritional content of Peruvian coffee.
| Content | Level For 1 cup ( 8oz) |
| Calories | 3 |
| Caffeine | 40 mg to 60 mg |
| Carbohydrates | 0g |
| Protein | 0.3 g |
| Sugar | 0 g |
| Sodium | 4.7 mg |
| Calcium | 3.6 mg |
| Iron | 0 mg |
My Final Thoughts
In the coffee world, Peruvian coffee has a great reputation. Almost all coffee lovers are familiar with it. Peruvian coffee is a fair-trade coffee that is certified to be fully organic. Since most Peruvian coffee is grown at a higher altitude, it has very complex flavors yet minimal acidity.
People all around the world enjoy Peruvian coffee. Peruvian people tend to enjoy their coffee black with little to no evaporated milk. If you hadn’t given this coffee a try, you should and then decide whether you like it or not.
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