Las Alasitas Bolivia (Espresso)

Fincas Los Rodriguez is operated by Pedro Rodriguez and his children, Daniela and Pedro Pablo. Senor Rodriguez started his coffee producing journey 38 years ago, working with small producers around the region and building a wet mill 22 years ago to process their coffees. However in 2012, as leaf rust started to spread amongst these small microlots, the Rodriguez family decided to start their own farms to continue the legacy of growing quality Bolivian coffees. Currently, they operate 8 farms in Caranavi, in the department of La Paz, and 5 are in Samaipata, in the department of Santa Cruz in Bolivia’s east. These 13 farms are managed under ‘Agricafe’, which is their exporting arm to share their coffees around the world.

Las Alasitas is one of Agricafe’s largest farms in Caranavi, and has been increasingly well known by international roasters over the years for its excellent quality.

Alasitas means “Buy Me” in the local Aymara native language. The name comes from a festival called ‘Alasitas’, which is a festival of desires. During the festival, thousands flock to La Paz to buy miniature items of everything they want in the coming year, either something material or something that brings luck. The items are exchanged with family and friends, in a hope that their dreams will be realised, and in turn, you will also be blessed with abundance. Finca Las Alasitas was created with the vision of becoming a model farm that local coffee growers could learn from and be inspired by, thus helping them realise the vast potential of their land and crops. This mindset of reciprocity mirrors the culture of the Alasitas festivals, which makes it a fitting name for the farm.

The 20.6 hectare farm was founded in 2014 and sits at 1,642 metres above sea level. The high altitude helps to ensure a slow maturation of the cherry because of the stable night-time temperature and mild day temperatures. The 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.

This Red Caturra lot from Alasitas was processed at Agricafe’s Buena Vista wet mill in Caranavi. The cherries were sorted by weight using water to remove floaters, then pulped. The green cherries covered with mucilage are transported into stainles steel tanks, where they are fermented with mosto for 2 days. The base of the steel tanks has a basket to collect water, which circulates back into the tank. This is to introduce oxygen that interacts with the sugars and promote more even fermentation. The coffee is then washed and dried in a mechanical dryer for about 100 hours.

This coffee is sweet and comfortable as an espresso, with a juicy apple acidity, brown sugar sweetness and a long comforting finish reminding us of hazelnuts.