Peru- Organic Coffee - Rutas del Inca

Juicy notes of ripe cherry, plum, and peach blanket a foundation of milk chocolate and honey in a complex, but deliciously easy drinking cup.  This is the highest altitude-grown coffee we've ever sourced!  The elevation factor alone makes this offering from Cajamarca, Peru unique and interesting, but the complex character of the cup and delicious flavor profile seal the deal!

The altitude at which coffee is grown is just one of many factors that contribute to high quality coffee, but it may be the most important.  Similar to wine varietals, Arabica produces finer fruit with more complexity of flavor at higher elevations. The reasoning behind this is fairly simple - coffee plants find it a bit more difficult to survive as the elevation increases, due to cooler temperatures and less water.  The result is a coffee plant that produces less fruit overall, but the seeds of the fruit (coffee beans) that are produced tend to be denser and more concentrated with the sugars that create the variety flavors we desire in a great coffee.  High elevation coffees also often showcase more acidity, structure, and complexity of flavor - all desirable characteristics of a well-grown specialty coffee.

Produced by the Rutas del Inca Cooperative, named in honor of the high altitude Inca trade routes through the Peruvian Andes, this coffee is the harvest of 267 small farmers in the rich coffee growing region surrounding Cajamarca. Additionally, the cooperative's farming practices are certified organic by the USDA National Organic Program as well as certified Fair Trade.