Flavour Notes:  

Clementine, Raspberry, Milk Chocolate
Origin: 

Cajamarca, Cutervo, Callayuc, Peru

Processing: 

Fermentation of 48+ hours. Washed.
Variety: 

Caturra and Bourbon
Altitude: 

1800m - 2000m

'Puente Solaya', or 'Solaya Bridge' in Spanish, signifies the communities from whom this lot is produced. The Solaya hill separates the 17 different producing families, and is a great metaphor of a link, a nexus, a bridge (puente) between  these communities that share a great coffee potential and people with great hospitality. 

This is the second micro-lot we've received from the Puente Solaya community within 12 months, and for good reason. The bright and vibrant acidity reminds us of Kenyan coffees, while the sweetness is long lasting and full of fruit and chocolate notes.

PROCESSING 
Many producing communities throughout Peru have small plots of land, on which they grow and cultivate coffee, other crops and livestock. It is often not viable for small producers to sell their coffees directly to exporters or the international market - instead, small producers from one or more communities often combine their harvests into regional lots, representing a flavour profile reminiscent of their region. 

This lot was created by 17 different producers/producing families surrounding the Solaya hill, in the Cajamarca region. Comprised entirely of Caturra and Bourbon varietals, the coffees were fermented for a period of 48 hours before being thoroughly washed, dried and milled for export: The result is a clean, bright and sweet coffee, with soft citrus notes such as clementine, red strawberry-like flavours and sweetness, and a lingering finish of milk chocolate. 

CAJAMARCA 
The northern part of Peru, thanks to the Andes mountain range and its proximity to the equator, has a warm climate, fertile lands and dense vegetation. It is an area with great cultural wealth and full of traditions that the population has managed to preserve up to today. In that northern area, the Cajamarca region stands out for its diversity in geography, ranging from Andean ecosystems to high-altitude forests of great beauty.

The province of Cutervo is known for its beautiful cloud forests, moors and dry forests protected by the Cutervo National Park. Lovers of adventure tourism and trekking would feel great in this environment. This park of more than 82,000 hectares provides an ecosystem that provides food and water to more than 90,000 inhabitants of 7 micro-watersheds in the area.

The most important resource is water and thanks to this a large part of the population can grow coffee. There is also abundant production of sugarcane, rice, fruit trees and cattle for milk production. The local population acknowledges that tourist attractions such as the palm forest, cave-exploration and bird watching are beneficial to the community, bringing development and boosting the local economy.