Peru — Alina Solano Finca Rosaspata SL9 (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🥥 Whipped Coconut Cream • 🥭 Ataulfo Mango • 🌸 Pink Peony

DETAILS

• Producer: Alina Solano
• Farm: Finca Rosaspata
• Region: Cusco, Peru
• Varietal: SL9 ("Inca Geisha")
• Process: Washed
• Elevation: 2,400 masl

INTRO A Peruvian SL9, finally — after a long search for this elusive variety, this stunning washed lot from Alina Solano's Finca Rosaspata marks the first of what should be many outstanding Peruvian SL9s to come. Rich whipped coconut cream and perfectly ripe Ataulfo mango lead, with a delicate pink peony florality underneath. In the cup: whipped coconut cream, Ataulfo mango, and pink peony.

THE PRODUCER Finca Rosaspata sits at an unusually high 2,400 masl in the Cusco highlands, just two hectares of cultivated farmland. The farm is cut off from any road by a fast-flowing river, relying on a single bridge that regularly washes away each rainy season and must be rebuilt. That isolation — the farm effectively becoming an island at times — has shaped the Solano family's close, sometimes precarious relationship with the land they steward.

SL9, often called "inca geisha," is a genuinely mysterious variety. Like SL28 and SL34, it originated as a single-tree selection made by Scott Laboratories in Kenya between 1935 and 1939, with historical records showing no evidence it was ever commercially cultivated outside Kenya — aside from a limited variety trial in Malawi. Yet genetic testing confirms Peru's SL9 trees are the same or nearly identical to that original Kenyan selection, leaving its journey to the Peruvian highlands unexplained. What's certain is its potential: at its best, SL9 delivers tropical fruit, bold florals, and vibrant acidity of real complexity.

THE PROCESS This lot is Washed, a method that removes the fruit before fermentation and drying — letting SL9's natural tropical fruit, floral, and creamy character come through with clarity, building the coconut cream, mango, and peony notes that define this cup.

THE CUP Rich and tropical — whipped coconut cream up front, ripe Ataulfo mango through the middle, and a delicate pink peony florality on the finish. An exceptional first look at Peruvian SL9, with much more to come.

Flavour Notes 🥥 Whipped Coconut Cream 🥭 Ataulfo Mango 🌸 Pink Peony