Peru — Reynaldo Luque Nueva Esperanza SL9* (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🌸 Orange Blossom • 🐉 Dragon Fruit • 🍍 Pineapple

DETAILS

• Producer: Reynaldo Luque
• Farm: Nueva Esperanza
• Region: Amaybamba, Cusco, Peru
• Varietal: SL9*
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 2,250 MASL
• Harvest: November 2025
• Size: 250g

INTRO

Amaybamba continues to be an exceptionally mysterious and captivating place. This is SEY's first year working with Reynaldo Luque's coffee, and they are excited to continue exploring this region. Grown at some of the highest altitudes in the coffee-producing world, Reynaldo's SL9* is a truly singular lot. In the cup: orange blossom, dragon fruit, and pineapple.

THE PRODUCER

Amaybamba is one of the most remote places SEY source coffee from, requiring nearly a three-day journey to reach. It is home to some of the highest-elevation coffee farms in the world and is planted almost exclusively with SL9* — a rare variety of significant genetic interest. This is SEY's first year working with Reynaldo's coffee, and despite the profound challenges of access, it remains one of the most exciting projects they are developing. This is only the beginning.

SL9* is colloquially known as "Gesha Inca" in the region. Genetic testing has found it closely resembles SL09 — a rare cultivar belonging to the Ethiopian Legacy group, distinct from Gesha. The "SL" designation refers to single-tree selections made by Scott Agricultural Laboratories in the 1930s. The asterisk reflects the ongoing research into this variety's precise genetic identity, in collaboration with communities in the Inkawasi Valley.

THE PROCESS

The Washed process at Nueva Esperanza involves:

• 🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries selected at peak ripeness
• 💧 Floating — Immersion to remove defects before pulping
• 🔧 De-pulping — Skin removed on the day of harvest
• 🧪 Dry fermentation — Fermented for 30 hours
• ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Dried on raised beds until stable

At 2,250 MASL, the extreme altitude slows cherry development and concentrates sugars, delivering SL9*'s explosive tropical and floral character with exceptional precision through the washed process.

THE CUP

An astonishing high-altitude SL9* from one of Cusco's most remote valleys — effervescent and exotic, with tropical fruit brightness and a delicate floral lift that makes this one of the most exciting Peruvian lots we have offered.

Flavour Notes

• 🌸 Orange Blossom
• 🐉 Dragon Fruit
• 🍍 Pineapple