Damian Espinoza’s farm, La Palma, is located in the small village of Alto Pirias in the Chirinos district of Cajamarca. Chirinos is an area known for producing high-quality coffee and, as is common across Peru, washed coffees are the norm. Chirinos experiences significant rainfall during the harvest season, which creates a range of challenges for producers, not least among them drying coffee. To combat this, solar dryers—simple, greenhouse-like structures made of wood and plastic tarps—are a typical and an arguably essential fixture on quality-focused farms throughout Cajamarca.

Image: Damian Espinoza among coffee plants on his farm in Chirinos, Peru.

Under ideal conditions, a washed coffee can dry in roughly one to two weeks, while a natural sundried lot typically requires at least four weeks to reach stable moisture. In humid environments like Chirinos, the risk of defects and undesirable fermentation flavors from slow or uneven drying increase dramatically. To manage this, producers often dry naturals in thin layers to increase airflow and promote uniformity. However, limited space in solar dryers often constrains scaling this approach.

Image: Damian Espinoza with Gianella Carrion from Origin Coffee Lab.

During our most recent visit to Damian’s farm, we were impressed by a large covered drying area he had recently constructed. Made from durable wood and plastic sheets with multiple vents to control airflow, this was one of the largest and most impressive solar dryers we had ever seen in Peru. The structure was built as part of a broader reinvestment into his farm funded in part by sales to committed buyers—Counter Culture, as well as others in Europe and Australia. Now, with this large solar dryer and a few African-style raised beds, Damian has space to fine-tune drying techniques for his washed coffees in addition to some experiments with naturals and honeys.

Image: Damian Espinoza among coffee in drying on tarps in various stages.

This lot consists of a mix of red and yellow caturra–the most common varieties on his farm. Picked ripe, the cherries were laid out on tarps under his solar dryer for 25 days and turned frequently to promote even moisture loss. The result is a coffee with clean and expressive flavors we rarely find in naturals from the region. High elevation, healthy plants, and good varieties all contribute to the flavor, but it’s the attention to detail during the lengthy drying process that makes this lot a true GEM.

Image: Damian Espinoza with ripe, freshly picked red and yellow caturra-variety coffee cherries.