Peru — Ayde Palomino Rojas Flor Del Valle SL9* (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🌸 Orange Blossom • 🍈 Honeydew • 🥭 Mango

DETAILS

• Producer: Ayde Palomino Rojas
• Farm: Flor Del Valle
• Region: Santa Teresa, Cusco, Peru
• Varietal: SL9*
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,980 MASL
• Harvest: November 2025
• Size: 250g

INTRO

SEY's first release from Ayde Palomino Rojas continues their deepening exploration of the Santa Teresa region of Cusco — a corner of southern Peru that first captured their attention last season for its exceptional quality. In the cup, orange blossom, honeydew, and mango come together in a profile that is at once delicate and lushly tropical.

Grown at 1,980 metres above sea level on the farm Flor Del Valle, this is a compelling expression of SL9* — the rare, provisionally named cultivar that has become one of the most exciting stories in Peruvian specialty coffee. The Santa Teresa region is still being mapped by SEY, and Ayde's coffee is a landmark first chapter in that conversation.

THE PRODUCER

Ayde Palomino Rojas farms in the Santa Teresa district of Cusco, in the high-altitude southern reaches of Peru. Her farm, Flor Del Valle, sits at nearly 2,000 metres above sea level — an elevation that creates the ideal conditions for slow cherry development, concentrated sugars, and the kind of floral complexity that defines the best SL9* lots from this region.

SEY's focus on Santa Teresa grew out of visits to the region where they encountered producers — Ayde among them — whose coffees completely shifted their expectations for what Peruvian coffee could be. Whilst their earlier buying in Peru had been concentrated in the Inkawasi Valley, Santa Teresa has proven to be a distinct and equally compelling terroir, with a heightened florality that distinguishes its best lots.

This is the first time SEY have released Ayde's coffee, and it is a strong introduction — precise, aromatic, and clearly the work of a producer with a deep understanding of her land and variety.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Flor Del Valle involves:

• 🍒 Hand-Picking — Cherries selected at peak ripeness
• 💧 Floating — Floated to remove defects before pulping
• 🔧 De-Pulping — De-pulped on the day of harvest
• 🧪 Dry Fermentation — Fermented dry for approximately 30–32 hours
• ☀️ Raised Bed Drying — Dried on raised beds to target moisture content

The washed process at this altitude and with this variety produces a cup of exceptional clarity — floral, clean, and transparent, allowing SL9*'s distinctive aromatic character to express itself fully.

THE CUP

An elegant and aromatic Peruvian SL9* that beautifully captures the florality and tropical fruit character the Santa Teresa region is quickly becoming known for. Orange blossom opens the cup with delicate perfume, honeydew adds a cool, refreshing sweetness, and mango rounds everything out with lush tropical depth.

Flavour Notes

• 🌸 Orange Blossom
• 🍈 Honeydew
• 🥭 Mango

*SL9's exact genetic fingerprint is not currently in the global database, but its similarity to SL09 supports its use as a provisional working name. It belongs to the Ethiopian Legacy group and is colloquially known as "Gesha Inca" in Peru. SEY are continuing conversations with geneticists and local communities about how this variety should be referred to going forward.