Peru — Ylder Herrera Flor del Valle Bourbon (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Plum • 🍂 Figs • 🍫 Sweet Chocolate

DETAILS

• Producer: Ylder Herrera
• Farm: Flor del Valle
• Region: Lonya Grande, Amazonas, Peru
• Varietal: Bourbon
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,900–2,000 MASL

INTRO

From Ylder Herrera's Flor del Valle in the Lonya Grande district of Amazonas — a washed Bourbon of deep sweetness and warm complexity from one of Peru's most quietly impressive young producers. A lifetime of inherited knowledge, refined through education and community leadership, expressed in a cup of plum, figs, and sweet chocolate.

THE PRODUCER

Ylder Herrera was born and raised in the Lonya Grande district of Amazonas, in the middle of a family dedicated to producing high-quality coffee. He absorbed the techniques and rhythms of the farm from childhood before going on to study at university — bringing that formal knowledge back to bear on his two-hectare plot at Flor del Valle at just 29 years old. Today, Ylder is not only producing exceptional coffee at altitude but also serving as President of the Norcafe Cooperative in Cajamarca — actively encouraging fellow members to cultivate specialty coffee and sharing everything he has learned, from his parents and from his own ongoing experimentation, with the broader community.

As part of the cooperative's micro-lot programme, Ylder continuously develops and refines his washed processing techniques, treating each harvest as an opportunity to push the quality of his lots further. Bourbon, one of the most culturally and genetically significant Arabica varieties in the world, finds exceptional conditions at 1,900–2,000 MASL in Amazonas — where slow cherry development, rich soils, and a cool mountain climate produce the deep sweetness and fruit complexity that define this lot.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Flor del Valle involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed on the farm using Ylder's own equipment, with various approaches to pulping experimented with to enhance quality 🧪 Fermentation — Parchment fermented for approximately 10 hours in small tanks or bags ☀️ Solar drying — Dried in solar dryers for approximately 30 days, regularly turned to ensure consistent moisture content

The extended 30-day solar drying is the defining step — a slow, controlled process that allows the Bourbon's natural sugars to develop fully and evenly, producing the deep plum and fig sweetness and the warm sweet chocolate character that run from the first sip through to the finish.

THE CUP

A warm, deeply sweet, and quietly complex washed Bourbon from one of Amazonas's most community-minded young producers — plum richness, dried fig warmth, and a long sweet chocolate finish that speaks of both the extraordinary potential of Peruvian Bourbon at altitude and the care of a producer committed to excellence at every stage.

Flavour Notes

🍑 Plum 🍂 Figs 🍫 Sweet Chocolate