Vargas spent months walking farms across Cajamarca, Cusco, and Puno. She spoke with growers, noted altitudes, and tasted samples side-by-side with judges from the national cupping club. Market shift prompted by US tariffs shows importers now value transparent data like hers even more.
Each page lists short facts: the washed process enhances clarity, the honey process adds lingering sweetness, and some micro-lots sit above 2,000 meters without freezing the cherry. Charts give easy smell and taste clues, so even young readers can picture cocoa notes versus red fruit pops. Altitude is critical for Arabica as higher altitudes yield brighter acidity and complex flavours. Coffee shops across the globe benefit from diverse brewing techniques that enhance the flavors of these unique beans.
The work also tackles softer beliefs. For years, buyers thought farming families were too poor to aim for top grades. Vargas shows real numbers proving higher pay for better picking and drying.
Another myth said all Peruvian beans tasted the same. The maps inside the book split the country into color zones, linking each village to unique scents like jasmine or panela. Short tales follow elders who sing to the coffee while they dry it, a slice of Peruvian heritage carried through melody and sunbeams.
Color-zoned maps shatter the myth: jasmine from one village, panela from another, all while elders sing their beans dry.
Instagram-ready photos of mist-wrapped terraces and crimson cherries glisten beside every story.
Specialty shops from Tokyo to Oslo have already ordered copies. Roasters say the clean data will support marketing tags like “High-Altitude Cajamarca” or “Honey-Processed Puno.”
Farmers who read Spanish hope the photos of their terraces elevate pride and fair prices. Observers call it the initial time a local voice gathers both culture and science under one hard cover.
Now a fifth-grade student can flip a page, spot a farm on a map, sniff the cupping notes, and never fall for tired coffee misconceptions again.
