Sold Out
Bolivia Caranavi San Juan Organic
This delightful coffee comes to us from the San Juan Coop in the Caranavi region of Bolivia. It's refreshingly bright, full bodied with a smooth finish and balanced sweetness. We noted crisp green apple, raspberry, marshmallow and lavender with a dark chocolate undertone. Perfect for a chilly spring morning or iced on a hot summer afternoon!
Bolivia exports less coffee than any other country in South America. While there are amazing producers and farmers, the land locked and incredibly mountainous region experiences many logistical issues bringing that delicious coffee to market. All that is to say, when it comes along, we consider it a rare treat to have some available, especially at this price in today's coffee market! The first thing we noted while roasting up samples was how easy it was to roast. Everything went as expected, few adjustments needed to be made and it came out of the roaster beautifully every time! As far as the cup, we found it pleasantly bright, crisp and refreshing with a full body and creamy texture. There's quite a bit of sweetness for a washed coffee and the flavors are well balanced. We noted crisp green apple and ripe raspberry on the front end as well as lavender and marshmallow. There's also some subdued dark chocolate just below the surface which you'll certainly get more of with roasts on the darker side of medium.
Reminder! This coffee is raw, you must roast it before brewing
Arrival Date: May 13th, 2022
Acidity & Brightness: Crisp and fairly sweet.
Balance & Finish: Balanced, smooth finish
Body & Texture: Full bodied and creamy
Flavors: Green apple, raspberry, marshmallow, lavender and dark chocolate
Grade: SHB, grown at 1500 masl
Certifications: Organic and Fair Trade
Processing: Fully washed and sun dried
Grower: 33 farms organized around Cooperativa Agrícola Cafetalera San Juan
Region: Caranavi, La Paz, Bolivia
Varietals: Typica, Catuai and Caturra
Recommended Roast Range: City+ to Vienna (Light to dark)
Start at City + (light-medium) and go as dark as Vienna (dark) depending on your desired flavor profile. Light to Full medium roasts will match our described profile while roasts on the darker side of medium will have less brightness and more marshmallow and even dark chocolate sweetness as well as a touch more body.
Royal Coffee - "Cooperativa Agrícola Cafetalera San Juan (San Juan) was formed in 1974 with 40 farmer members across Caranaví united in the goal of supporting small family farms and organic, chemical-free methods. The cooperative started out strong; by the mid-2000s Bolivia was hosting annual Cup of Excellence competitions and there was a high level of international development interest in the Yungas coffee sector, of which Caranaví is the center. However, productivity declined tremendously from 2006-2017 among cooperative members due to aging trees and falling investment. That year, Felix Chambi Garcia joined the organization, bringing with him over 16 years of specialty experience as a cupper and member of various other Bolivian cooperatives. Since then, the coop’s total production, overall quality, and diversity of coffees has all increased significantly. Felix sees himself as part of the younger, renewed generation of coffee lovers in Bolivia—including baristas and roasters—who are fortunate to be in a producing country with such high potential. This generation certainly believes there is a lot of ground to be covered. San Juan relies on individual farmers to process their own coffee. Felix has made quality control central to the coop’s operations, and his lab in Alto Cochabamba serves as the central control point for all lot building and exportation.”
