Bolivia: Finca Roque – Microlot

Natural/Anaerobic Process ∙Medium Roast

Fresh red wine and cooked coffee cherry with mellow cocoa flavors. Tart acidity and mild fruit-like sweetness. 

Grown at 1500 Meters Above Sea Level (MASL)

Our Origin Select coffee this month comes fromthe La Paz Department, located in North Western Bolivia.  Alex Roque established Finca Roque, a seven-hectare farm, in 2017. On three hectares of the land, he cultivates 4,200 Red Catuai and Typica trees, harvesting them by hand from June to September. He processes his coffees at the farm applying many different methodologies, and dries the coffee on raised beds. 

It is important to note this coffee was intentionally processed utilizing anaerobic fermentation. In general, placing freshly-harvested cherries inside a sealed container or bag of some sort for a period of time will create a flavor impact. We find those anaerobically-fermented coffees often exhibit an increase in the intensity of fruit and acidity and a slight increase in the body. Nonetheless, the anaerobic fermentation process has a distinct impact on the outcome of the flavor profile.

The La Paz department is the most well-known coffee growing region in Bolivia, and shares a border with Peru. It is divided into 20 provinces and 85 municipalities. The first records of coffee in Bolivia come from the 18th century through estates in the Yungas region, grown and consumed by the landowners. Exactly when and how coffee came to Bolivia is uncertain, but it was never the main crop. Coca leaves grew very well in the region and, at the start of the 20th century, made up 95% of the agricultural market in Bolivia. In the 1980s, with the passage of Law 1008, which regulated coca and controlled substances and defined traditional and surplus coca cultivation areas, coffee was once again considered an economic alternative to replacing these crops.