Peru — Marcelina Peralta Nuevo Horizonte Bourbon (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍊 Hassaku Citrus • 🌸 Orange Blossom • 🍈 Papaya

DETAILS

• Producer: Marcelina Peralta
• Farm: Nuevo Horizonte
• Region: Puno, Peru
• Varietal: Bourbon
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,900 MASL

INTRO

Three years after a first encounter with Marcelina Peralta's incredibly sweet, floral Bourbon, Apollon's Gold are thrilled to welcome her coffee back to their lineup. A masterclass in what a Peruvian Bourbon should be — a rare balance of thick, silky mouthfeel and vibrant, expressive character. In the cup: hassaku citrus, orange blossom, and papaya.

THE PRODUCER

Marcelina Peralta farms Nuevo Horizonte at 1,900 MASL in Puno — one of Peru's most southern and elevated growing regions, where the proximity to Lake Titicaca creates a distinctive microclimate of cool nights, stable temperatures, and mineral-rich soils that build exceptional sweetness and aromatic concentration in the cherry. The lot that first caught Apollon's Gold's attention three years ago was defined by its extraordinary florality, citrus brightness, and silky mouthfeel — and this return confirms that quality was no accident.

Bourbon, one of the most culturally and genetically important Arabica varieties in the world, forms the genetic foundation of a vast proportion of the coffees consumed in specialty coffee today. A tall variety with naturally low cherry production but exceptional cup quality at altitude, it has been largely replaced in commercial farming by higher-yielding, more disease-resistant cultivars — making lots like this, from a dedicated smallholder producer committed to growing it carefully at nearly 2,000 MASL in Puno, genuinely valuable and deeply compelling.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Nuevo Horizonte involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Bourbon cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed before fermentation 🧪 Fermentation — Beans fermented to break down remaining mucilage 💧 Washing — Thoroughly washed after fermentation to remove all residue ☀️ Drying — Dried to optimal moisture content

The meticulous washed processing is the defining step — by stripping back all fruit influence, the process allows the intrinsic citrus brightness, orange blossom florality, and papaya tropical sweetness of Marcelina's Bourbon and Puno's high-altitude terroir to express themselves with full clarity and precision.

THE CUP

A masterclass in Peruvian Bourbon from one of Puno's most impressive smallholder producers — hassaku citrus brightness, orange blossom florality, and tropical papaya sweetness in a thick, silky, and beautifully structured cup that demonstrates exactly what Bourbon at altitude in Peru is capable of. Three years on, and well worth the wait.

Flavour Notes

🍊 Hassaku Citrus 🌸 Orange Blossom 🍈 Papaya