Overview
This is a semi-traditional washed SL34 cultivar of coffee from Samaipata, Bolivia, produced by the Rodriguez family under their brand Agricafe.
The flavor profile is sweet, layered, and deceptively complex. We picked up myriad flavors, but especially noted the tastes of honey, orange, kiwi, and pineapple.
Our roasters found the coffee’s low density was better suited to a lower charge temperature and gentle pace after first crack. We noted early times and low temperatures for color change and first crack; you might find yourself dropping this coffee a little earlier than usual to match your color profile.
When brewed our baristas noted the ease of dialing in as a shot of espresso. It makes a delicious pour-over, even though it surprised us a little with a slightly higher than usual TDS.
Taste Analysis by Chris Kornman
This deceptively complex coffee is just a little too easy to drink! With all the cleanliness of a washed coffee and the decadent sweetness provided by a brief “pre-fermentation,” and capped by the clear Kenya-like qualities imparted by the SL34 cultivar, this is a memorable and welcome late addition the end of the southern hemisphere arrival season.
The coffee is nicely layered, and incredibly approachable. Soft chocolaty viscosity, a honeyed sweetness, and gentle almond nuttiness inspire a false sense of security on first tasting. The chuggability of this Bolivian-grown bean is dangerously high.
Behind that, there are some ripe orange and kiwi-like acids and a clear pineapple-like sweet/tart combo that is rarely presented with as much clarity as it is in this coffee. Doris and Evan agreed on the flavor of cherimoya, an appropriately Andean fruit flavor.
Our tasting team rattled of a cornucopia of additional, slightly more subtle fruited notes, like nectarine, green grape, watermelon, raspberry, and more. There’s a elegant flourish of floral and spiced notes as well – we picked up hints of lavender, peach cobbler, and even a hint of cayenne. It pairs perfectly with summer and fall, and our barista team found it easy to dial and enjoyable just about every which way it could be brewed.
Source Analysis by Charlie Habegger
Agricafe is one of the most sought-after producer groups not just in Bolivia, but in all South America, and buyers line up every year for their one-of-a-kind microlots. For many roasters, Bolivia’s cup quality – as exemplified by Agricafe’s selections – is representative of the country’s potential to produce diverse, fascinating, unexpectedly delicious lots that grab our attention and won’t let go.
This is a washed microlot of the traditionally Kenyan cultivar, SL-34, propagated specially by the Rodriguez family on their own farms. The cup is indeed quite Kenya-like with bright mandarin orange, peach, pineapple, and caramel.
Specialty groups like Agricafe deserve a lot of credit for their dedication to Bolivia's coffee potential, despite the odds. Agricafe was established in 1986 as a passion project by Pedro Rodriguez, who at that time was a banker whose love for coffee led him to start a small commercial grade exporting business. In 2012, 26 years later, Rodriguez acquired land of his own in Caranavi. This part of Bolivia had for decades been populated with indigenous smallholder coffee farmers, but after suffering multiple waves of disinvestment by the government the population was shrinking, and coffee in particular was close to extinction. Rodriguez’s original farm “La Linda” was meant to take advantage of affordable land in the area and to demonstrate to local smallholders how productivity could be increased for their benefit. Now, 10 years after La Linda was built, the family business includes 12 family farms between Caranavi and Samaipata to the south, and a group of 100 smallholders who together comprise Agricafe’s “Sol de la Mañana” program. Pedro’s daughter Daniela and son Pedro Pablo are also part of the business, managing commercial operations and farmer training.
The Rodriguez family's Samaipata farms are some of the region's first coffee plantations. Samaipata and the greater Santa Cruz department are well-known for wine production, and for a cosmopolitanism not shared by the more austere cultures of La Paz and the heavily-indigenous Yungas regions. The family farms reach higher altitudes here than in Caranavi and are less humid with less rainfall, making processing a more predictable affair.
All coffee from Rodriguez family farms is processed centrally at Agricafe’s wet mill Samaipata. Processing here has come to reflect the innovation and attention to detail that the Rodriguez family seems to exude against all odds for such a remote location. Cherry is collected each day at the farms and delivered to the wet mill in the evenings. Cherry is carefully sorted on arrival, and then, since every cherry delivery is treated as a unique microlot, it’s processed according to what Agricafe’s quality managers decide is the best pairing for a particular farm, cultivar, time of year, and in many cases buyer specification. Washed coffee processing is done anaerobically by default, with freshly-pulped parchment going straight into large sealed plastic drums for fermentation. Once fermentation is complete the drums are emptied and the parchment (and drums themselves) are pressure-washed clean.
Agricafe produces washed, natural, honey, anaerobic natural, and experimental fermentations using coffee fermentation must, all in a very compact production space. A full harvest at Agricafe generates thousands of unique lots of coffee, which are then recombined by their cuppers or buyers to create larger lots, such as this one.
The SL-34 seedstock was originally sourced by the Rodriguez family from farmer connections in Kenya. Propagation began as an experiment, but the trees’ high production and exceptionally bright cup quality convinced them to plant more and more in recent years.
Green Analysis by Chris Kornman
Great looking green coffee here from Bolivia. The beans are relatively round and fairly uniform, averaging mostly in the 17-19 screen size range, a little above average. The coffee is well dried and stable, with a bit of a low density.
SL34 is a Kenyan coffee selection dating to the late 1930s by Scott Labs and is classically paired with SL28 in that country. The 34 selection is rarely grown in isolation today, making its cultivation in Bolivia all the more extraordinary. According to WCR, The plant was selected from seedlings on the Loresho Estate in Kabete, Kenya, from stock traceable back to the first plantings of trees in the country. These would have been “French Mission” coffees, taken from Reunion island to Tanzania and then Kenya around 1890, and thus are traditionally labelled as Bourbon cultivars. However, WCR also claims that recent genetic testing of SL34 indicates it may be more closely related to Typica, while an 2021 study clusters SL34 with a distinct group of Yemeni landraces as a unique mother population of arabica.
Diedrich IR-5 Analysis by Doris Garrido
With the green grading results, low density (699 g/L on our Sinar), and average moisture (9.6%), I decided to approach this coffee with a low charge (415°F) going soft during drying, using 50% of the air flow from the beginning until after the turning point. I plan to pass a little faster during Mailliard; I wanted to keep the moister to show the juiciness of the coffee, and for the last phase I decide to keep the roast under 400°F.
I started my 5.5lb batch with the 30% gas and added 100% half a minute after starting. I turned air through the cooling tray after the turning point, and lowered my gas just before marking the color change at 305.7°F. After yellowing, I waited for a few seconds and started air flow again to 100% (roasting a different Bolivia coffee recently I noticed that air helped develop the great fruitiness, and I wanted to try it here looking for comparable results).
First crack started at 380.4°F and I turned off the pilot few seconds after, I was looking to slow the pace and finish the roast at 395°F. I gave it 1:26 minutes of post development and here are the resulting cup notes next day:
An exceptionally clean and complex cup to start with. Plum, pineapple, cranberry, yellow mango, green grape stone fruits. I would think that the use of air helped with the bringing up of all those juicy fruity and floral notes. One unique tasting note in this coffee: chirimoya by Evan Gilma (I agree 100%, mainly on the clean acidity from that fruit). A tasty cup of coffee that shows how Bolivian coffee scene is bringing to us another amazing coffee.
Aillio Bullet R1 IBTS Analysis by Evan Gilman
Unless otherwise noted, we use both the roast.world site and Artisan software to document our roasts on the Bullet. You can find our roast documentation below, by searching on roast.world, or by clicking on the Artisan links below.
Generally, we have good results starting our 500g roasts with 428F preheating, P6 power, F2 fan, and d6 drum speed. Take a look at our roast profiles below, as they are constantly changing!
After all the hullabaloo around Bolovian coffee this year, I was very excited to taste this lot not only because it comes from a famous farm, but also because of the great looks on my coworkers’ faces as they told me about it being the next Crown Jewel offering.
With all its floral notes and purported bright, Kenya-like acidity, I wanted to take this coffee hot and fast with plenty of airflow. I started at 446F charge temperature, P9 power, and F1 fan, really kicking this one with the spurs. Giddyup, and whatnot. At peak RoR I decreased the push to P8 power and increased fan speed to F3 to begin the downward spiral. At yellowing, I decreased power further to P7, and engaged F4 shortly afterwards. At first crack, I hit P6 and toggled between F4 and F5 to finish out the last few degrees of this roast.
While this coffee got a pretty healthy spike in RoR right before first crack, I didn’t taste anything off in the cup. Huge mandarin, a touch of floral right on the tip of my tongue, and super sweet and sugary body just like a hard candy. There’s a touch of nectarine-like flavor here too, which I sometimes liken to what the scent of an orange or yellow rose might taste like. Kind of abstract, but very delicious I assure you.
This coffee would be hard pressed to present itself badly in any preparation method. Definitely try this as an espresso, but take it easy with a French Press if you’re in the mood for a truly luscious coffee experience.
Follow along with my roast on roast.world here: https://roast.world/@egilman/roasts/Z7sSN7VX-ey5xbb5lxz2U
Ikawa Pro V3 Analysis by Isabella Vitaliano
Our current Ikawa practice compares two sample roast profiles, originally designed for different densities of green coffee. The two roasts differ slightly in total length, charge temperature, and time spent between color change in first crack. You can learn more about the profiles here.
From Bing cherry to pear, chocolate, green grape and dried fruits we have a plethora of complex flavors from our newest CJ addition. Bolivia arrivals have not disappointed us this year and we are thrilled to add this to our top-tier selection.
One thing of note is that these roasts were noticeably darker than our usual ikawa roasts with the same profiles. The light density was more developed with some toasty notes that were paired with sweet plum, dark chocolate and a nice complexity. The high density presented as malt chocolate, cacao nibs but overall was a little flatter and thinner.
Even with the toasty notes Doris and I preferred the low density for its complex flavors, body and sweetness. During the Diedrich analysis Doris mentions color change at 305.7°F which is a little lower of a temp than expected.
It may be a good idea to be a little bit more gentle than usual when roasting this Bolivian coffee.
You can roast your own by linking to our profiles in the Ikawa Pro app here:
Roast 1: Low Density Sample Roast
Roast 2: High Density Sample Roast
Brew Analysis by Katie Briggs
We are so excited to see all these fun new coffees coming through our tasting room this summer! I love having new coffees to taste all year round, but I just love summer and the bright and fun atmosphere that these months bring to the Bay Area. This tasty, washed coffee from Bolivia is no exception, and we were excited to get brewing it up and seeing what flavors this coffee has in store for us.
We started with a brew on the V60 cone brewer with a 19g dose of coffee. We ground the coffee at a 9 grind. Starting with the typical 40g of water for 50 seconds to achieve the initial bloom and first pulse of water. We then took the water up to 200g for the second pulse, and then 300g for the final pulse. The TDS for this brew was a 1.56, which is a bit higher than desired, but this brew still tasted pretty good, with notes of honey, dark chocolate, nectarine and watermelon rind. Since the TDS is so high on this brew I wanted to try and bring that down to a more desirable number for the next brew.
I moved to the Kalita Wave brewer for the next couple of brews. I did one at a 9 grind and another at a 10 to experiment with trying to bring the TDS down. I stuck with the same brewing method and water doses. The 9 grind brew came out with an even higher TDS, and the 10 brew was just a bit lower than the initial brew. Both of these brews tasted pretty good as well, with the first brew having notes of nectarine, black tea, lemon, and almond. The second brew had notes of cocoa, almond and soft kiwi.
I ended up going back to the V60 cone brewer to test out a couple more grind settings to see if I could, again, bring that TDS down. Although this coffee tasted pretty good at a higher TDS, I still wanted to see if it would change at all with the lower TDS. I tried brews at an 11 grind and even a 13 grind, just to experiment. I also did a brew at a lower dose of coffee with 18.5g and an 11.5 grind.
I stuck with the same water pulses and blooms for all of the brews, the first was the V60 at an 11 grind, which did bring down the TDS a little bit. It had notes of a bit of saltiness, cocoa, blackberry and oolong. The next brew with 18.5g of coffee at an 11.5 grind did have the lowest TDS at 1.37, and had notes of granny smith apple, dried kiwi and English breakfast. The last brew was just an experiment for the TDS, so we brought the dose back up to 19, but did a 13 grind. Bringing the dose back up proportionately brought the TDS back up, even at such a coarse grind.
All in all, this is a very tasty coffee despite having a higher TDS for most of the brews. We recommend a cone brewer with a coarser grind. This coffee seems to just be very soluble but will still be super delicious brewed up any way!
Espresso Analysis by MJ Smith
Recipe 1: 18.5g dose, 38.5g yield, 29 seconds
Recipe 2: 19.5g dose, 40.5 yield, 33 seconds
Wow, this coffee makes for a truly superb espresso! We’ve had several really amazing coffees from Bolivia come through The Crown in recent months, and this one is no exception. Packed full of exciting and unique tasting notes, with a honey-like sweetness and mouthfeel as smooth as satin sheets, this coffee is sure to please traditional espresso drinkers as well as those looking for a little something different.
The first recipe I tried had a dose of 18.5g, a yield of 38.5g, and a pull time of 29 seconds. Initially, I picked up notes that reminded me of an Almond Joy candy bar (milk chocolate, coconut, and toasted almond), and with every sip picked up additional notes of peach, honey, persimmon, paprika, and light florals. I really enjoyed this shot, so I shared some with some of the rest of the team, who picked up notes of lemon curd, pie crust, cranberry, and a dash of peppercorn.
For my next shot, I wanted to see how it would taste if I increased all the variables. I bumped up the dose to 19.5g, the yield to 40.5g, and the pull time to 33 seconds. This shot felt somehow even silkier! It was much more floral forward, like a bouquet of lavender, roses, and jasmine, but not in a way that was too overpowering. I was still able to pick up that honey-like sweetness, as well as spiced orange, grilled pineapple, and kiwi, all held down by some nice dark chocolatiness. I also shared some of this shot rest of the team, who observed notes of pomegranate, peach cobbler, molasses, and just the slightest essence of pine.
This coffee makes for a great espresso, and was generally very easy to dial in. Despite only listing two recipe recommendations, I found something enjoyable in every shot that I tried. I also tried it in an oat milk cappuccino and found that it really emphasized those delicious pie-like notes. Personally, this espresso reminded me of fall and winter times, in that cozy and nostalgic kind of way. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
