Image: Caffeine & Co studio
The Coffee Atlas
Peru Chanchamayo
Peru Chanchamayo, the Junin valley behind roughly 40% of Peru's coffee, a soft, nutty, chocolatey cup built from smallholder co-op lots, with sourced data.
Flavor profile
avg. of 2 published reviewsScale: 1-10, Coffee Review / SCA-classic-form convention. Averaged from 2 published, dated Coffee Review scores of lots from the Chanchamayo growing region: Peru La Florida, Durango Coffee (June 2010, natural process, medium-dark roast, 88 points) and Decaf Organic Peru Chanchamayo, Counter Culture Coffee Roasters (June 2005, decaffeinated, dark roast, 88 points). Both are old, one is decaf and one is natural process, so this is a rough guide to the region's character, not a statistical sample of current washed lots. Individual lots vary by cooperative, harvest year, and roast.
What it tastes like
Chanchamayo is the valley in Junin, about 200 miles east of Lima, that Redber credits with roughly 40% of Peru’s coffee. It is smallholder country: the APROSELVA cooperative alone pools 530 members across 15 communities in Chanchamayo and Satipo, growing Typica, Caturra, Bourbon, Catuai, and Catimor between about 1,200 and 1,800 meters, mostly washed and sun-dried.
The cup is soft rather than showy. The two Coffee Review lots behind this entry both scored 88 and both read as gentle: a sweet, nut-toned aroma with hints of wood and flowers, soft acidity and a lightly syrupy mouthfeel in the 2010 natural, and cedar, cherry-chocolate, and floral hints in the 2005 decaf. Body and aroma scored a step above acidity and flavor in both.
That is the honest limit of the data. Two old reviews, one decaf and one natural, are a sketch of the region, not a verdict on today’s washed lots, so treat the radar chart as a rough shape and buy by reading a specific bag’s own notes.
How to brew it
Method fit for this origin · editorial guidance from roaster convention
A soft-acid, medium-to-full-bodied, nut-and-chocolate profile is the classic easy everyday filter cup, with nothing sharp to fight a large batch.
The sweetness and syrupy body come through cleanly, though the modest acidity gives a filtered cup less sparkle than a brighter origin.
The body and chocolate-nut tone suit milk drinks, but the low acidity means a lighter roast may taste flat as a straight shot.
⚠ Fit tiers are editorial guidance drawn from roaster convention; no industry standard scores brew fit, so we show tiers, never invented numbers. Reflects brew guidance commonly published by specialty roasters for soft, washed Peruvian lots, not an SCA-defined standard.
Altitude & region
Growing elevation, meters above sea level · this entry vs comparison bands
Peru Chanchamayo's range is sourced directly from Interamerican Coffee's APROSELVA profile, with a narrower lot-level figure from Redber noted above (see Sources & data). Colombia Huila, Kenya AA, and Brazil Cerrado are shown for scale using the same commonly published origin bands already used elsewhere on this site, not a Chanchamayo-specific measurement.
Caffeine content
Caffeine by dry weight · each gold dot = 0.1%
Caffeine content tracks species, not origin, altitude, or processing, with Robusta generally higher than Arabica. This entry is 100% Arabica; no credible per-origin caffeine figure exists at a category level, so the comparison is by species only, not a measurement of any specific lot.
Where to buy it
Transparency: some links on this site are affiliate links; if you buy through them we may earn a commission at no cost to you. Roasters are picked for genuine, current sourcing of this coffee, never for who pays us.
California roaster whose Chanchamayo and Satipo lot from the APROSELVA cooperative was reviewed by Coffee Review in July 2025 (a decaf offering); stock changes, so check the shop for a current Peru listing.
View lot→Selection is wide and quality varies lot to lot; check roast dates, 100%-origin labeling, and seller reviews before buying.
View lot→Sources & data
- Coffee Review: Peru La Florida, Durango CoffeeCupping scores (1 of 2 averaged); natural-process lot from a small-holder cooperative in the Chanchamayo growing region, June 2010
- Coffee Review: Decaf Organic Peru Chanchamayo, Counter Culture Coffee RoastersCupping scores (2 of 2 averaged); Chanchamayo Valley lot, June 2005, with cedar, cherry-chocolate, and floral notes
- Coffee Review: scoring methodology1-10 attribute scale definition
- Interamerican Coffee: Peru APROSELVAAltitude (1,200-1,800 m), varieties (Typica, Catimor, Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai), April-September harvest, washed processing, cooperative size
- Redber: Coffee of the month, Peru ChanchamayoNarrower 1,200-1,350 m lot altitude, Caturra/Typica/Pache/Bourbon varieties, June-September harvest, and the approx. 40% share of Peru's production