For a long time, Peru wasn't really an origin I found myself looking towards when searching for high-end coffees. I associated it more with solid, dependable coffees that worked well as blends or approachable microlots.
Then the conversation around Peru started to change in late 2025 and into 2026.
The recent interest in the rediscovered SL09 varietal (sometimes referred to as Inca Gesha) caught my attention. It was one of those coffees that made me realise I probably hadn't been looking closely enough at what was happening in Peru. So, naturally, I reached out to Michael and the team at Cafe Imports and asked them to send a few samples our way: a couple Geshas and Bourbons that we sample roasted on a Kaffelogic and cupped the day after.
We were pretty pleasantly surprised by the quality and diversity of the coffees coming out of Peru. It made me curious about what else I might have been overlooking.
What stood out to me most on the table was this beautiful washed Gesha produced by Francisco Delgado Rivera and his family.
About Francisco and Finca La Peña del Leon
Francisco owns the 1.5-hectare Finca La Peña del Leon, a farm established in 2005. His family has a deep connection to coffee and places a strong emphasis on looking after the land they farm- preserving trees within the forest and producing their own compost to fertilise the coffee trees.
Looking ahead, Francisco plans to continue modernising the farm, including introducing new coffee varieties.
Our roast approach
For the roast, we approached it with a reasonably hot and fast version of our baseline style (more about this in another blog), aiming to preserve the inherent gesha floral aromatics while developing enough sweetness and structure to keep the cup balanced.
The result is a really clean and refreshing Gesha.
We're getting jasmine immediately in the dry aroma, which carries through into the cup and becomes particularly noticeable retronasally as it cools.
There's a soft cantaloupe-like sweetness through the middle, followed by a finish that reminds me of iced sencha- crisp green florals, a light tannic structure and a refreshing finish.
It's a coffee that really opens up as it cools. The florals become more pronounced, the melon sweetness starts to develop, and the tea-like character becomes more apparent.
Hope you enjoy this coffee as much as we do!
Jos