Peru Alina Solano

A Peruvian SL9—finally! We’ve been hard at work tracking down what remains a rather elusive variety, SL9, from Peru and at long last hit a stroke of good luck in uncovering this stunning washed lot from Alina Solano of Finca Rosaspata, Cusco. All of the best coffees we’ve had from Peru over the last couple of years have been SL9 lots, so for us this lot represents the first of what are sure to be many outstanding Peruvian SL9s in Mirra’s future, so strap in and stay tuned. When brewed up, we get an abundance of rich, whipped coconut cream, perfectly ripe, seasonal Ataulfo mango, and subtle, delicate pink peony florals; given the flavor profile of this coffee, it’s no wonder that SL9 is often referred to as inca geisha.

Alina’s farm, Finca Rosaspata, is located at the unusually high altitude of 2.400 masl in the highlands of Cusco, Peru, and consists of only 2 hectares of cultivated farmland. The farm is isolated from any accessible roads by a rapidly flowing river, from which they use water for all of their cultivation and processing. The only connection between the farm and the road is a perilous bridge, which gets washed away every rainy season, and must be rebuilt regularly. Because the farm essentially becomes an island at time, depending on the state of the bridge and how it has been affected by weather, the connection with, dependence on, and, at times, resistance against nature is made all the more clear to the Solano family, as is their status as guardians of the land they cultivate and live on.

SL9, also often called inca geisha, is a variety whose origins remain shrouded by a veil of mystery, chiefly because the story told by its genetics, and the story told by the historical documentation on the cultivation and proliferation of SL9, offer two conflicting accounts of how this Kenyan variety wound up exclusively in Peru. Like SL28 and SL34, SL9 is also a single-tree selection made by Scott Laboratories in Kenya, some time between 1935 and 1939. In The Lost Origins of Inca Geisha—the most definitive and accessible source as of yet on SL9—Christopher Feran writes, “as far as any historical evidence shows, SL-09 was never—unlike SL-34 and SL-28—commercially grown outside of Kenya (I did find evidence of a variety trial in Malawi where SL-09 was planted alongside its more-famous peers),” (christopherferan.com). This is precisely where it gets interesting. Based on genetic testing, we know that the SL9 trees planted in Peru are either the same or incredibly close in genetic composition to the original selection made in Kenya in the 1930’s. Based on extant historical records, however, there is absolutely no record not only of SL9 ever being commercially planted and cultivated at scale, or of it ever being planted anywhere besides Kenya, and Malawi for a very limited variety trial. How this Kenyan variety made its way to the highlands of Peru remains, at least historically speaking, a total mystery. What matters most, however, is the flavor of SL9, which has the potential for extreme quality and complexity, with the best lots expressing an abundance of tropical fruits, sweetness, bold florals, and vibrant acidity.