Las Alasitas - Single Origin - BOLIVIA

Cherry, plum and Turkish delight

Variety: Caturra 

Process: Washed Anaerobic - Medium Filter Roast

Suggested methods: Pour over, Aeropress, Cold Brew and Plunger

Los Rodriguez family owned a small farm called Las Alasitas, leaded by Pedro Rodríguez. Over the last decade, Rodríguez has worked tirelessly to build the production of, and market for, Bolivian specialty coffee, helping hundreds of local farmers recognise and realise the potential of their land and crops.

Las Alasitas is located in the colony of Bolinda, which lies in a lush, steep mountain valley around 10 kilometres outside of the town of Caranavi. The colony of Bolinda was founded 52 years ago and was once known as ‘Bolivia Linda’ or ‘Beautiful Bolivia’. Over the years this name was shortened to Bolinda, and it is now one of the larger settlements in the area.

Las Alasitas was planted in 2014 and is 20.6 hectares in size. The farm sits at about 1,642 metres above sea level and has incredible views over the Los Rodríguez farms and mountains beyond. The views are so special that the family have built a house at the top of the farm called La Casita, where they welcome friends and guests, who come to enjoy the farm at sunset and sunrise, coffee in hand.

Due to its high elevation, Las Alasitas  experiences cool night-time temperatures and mild day temperatures, resulting in a slow ripening of the coffee cherry grown here. This slow maturation leads to an increased concentration of sugars in the cherry and bean, which in turn helps to produce a sweeter cup of coffee.

Los Rodriguez have invested a lot of time and effort into trying to make each of their plantations a ‘model’ farm that other producers in the area can learn from. Along with a focus on proper farming practices, the family have trialled several varieties at Las Alasitas, including Gesha, San Bernardo, Caturra and Java. This particular lot is 100% Red Caturra.

All of the Rodríguez family’s learnings have also been shared with local producers through a training program that the family has developed called ‘Sol de la Mañana.’

HOW THIS COFFEE WAS PROCESSED

At Las Alasitas, Pedro hires pickers from the Villa Rosario community to carefully hand select the coffee during the harvest. These pickers are trained to collect only the very ripest cherries, and multiple passes are made through the farm throughout the harvest to ensure the coffee is picked at its prime. Selective picking is extremely important for special micro-lots like this one, to ensure the sweetest cup. The Rodríguez family has found that harvesting the very ripest (almost purple) cherries result in the most complexity and distinction in the coffee.

After inspected and weighed, the cherries for this lot were carefully sorted by weight using water, and floaters were removed. Following this, the coffee was placed on a conveyor belt and was disinfected, in a similar process used for wine grapes. Once depulped, the wet parchment was fermented in the family’s brand new, custom-built stainless steel tanks (show in the video below) for 48 hours. The team made sure the lid remained shut for the full period of fermentation, to ensure no oxygen touched the coffee and that the punch-like, boozy aroma remained trapped inside.

The parchment was then was washed with fresh, clean water and carefully machine-dried for 105 hours using a ‘guardiola,’ a horizontal, rotating drum that gets rid of moisture by creating a warm, consistent flow of air around the coffee. Once the coffee was dry, it was transported to La Paz where it was rested before being milled at Agricafe’s dry mill, La Luna. At this state-of-the-art mill, the coffee was first hulled and sorted using machinery, and then by a team of workers who meticulously sorted the coffee again (this time by hand) under UV and natural light. 

WHATS IN A NAME?

Alasitas means “Buy Me” in the local Aymara native language. The name comes from a festival called Alasitas, which is a festival of desires and honours the Andean god of abundance.