Alto Urumbamba

Location: Quillabamba, Urubamba Valley (also known as the sacred Valley of the Inca), Cusco region, Peru.

Varietal: Chuncho Urusayahua

Flavour Notes: An exquisite combination of dried flowers, cut grass and dried fruits, all sweetened with honey.

Terroir: The Chuncho cacao trees grow in the shadow of the Andes, forming part of a rocky forest cut through by streams and creeks flowing from the mountains to the valley. Remarkably, the Chuncho trees grow up to 1400 metres above sea level, an unusually high altitude for cacao.

Description

The Chuncho varietal has long provoked marvel. In fact, the rich and distinctive flavours of these beans may be owed to their careful cultivation by the Matsigenka Indians, who back in pre-Inca times “selected and planted their favourite Chunchos based on the flavours and aromas of the pulp, which they used for juice.” The people of the Urumbamba Valley retain this passion; families in the region grow the beans from their ancient trees to make their own drinking chocolate, heated gently over a fire with orange peel and cinnamon.

For many years, the native cacaos of the region have been in danger, as a result of the rapid spread of foreign modern hybrids. These hybrids threaten the ancient Chunchos and their rich diversity, but careful sourcing from old Chuncho trees means that preservation is still possible. Original beans are also helping to propagate these old Chuncho trees, planting them in cacao-agroforestry systems on the Andean slopes.

Harvest Times: January- April

Harvest Volume: The total harvest volume is usually below 40 Mt annually

Number of Farmers: 145

Hectares Farmed: 228

Farming Notes: The Chuncho beans are grown alongside citrus fruits and timber.

Fermentation and Drying Notes: The unique nature of the Chuncho beans means that the fermentation process has to strike a precise balance. Wooden boxes are expertly adjusted to the correct climatic conditions so that the beans can attain a good quality without reaching the high fermentation levels that lead to bitterness. If Chuncho beans are left to ferment for more than four days they are at risk of becoming too astringent.