What is the cultivation story of Bolivia's La Llama coffee farm? What are the growing conditions for La Llama coffee?

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The Cultivation Story of Bolivia's La Llama Coffee Farm

This very special Java micro-lot comes from a new farm called Finca La Llama, planted in 2015. This is the first year of harvest from this farm, with very small production but excellent quality. It is located on a small 10-hectare farm in the 'colonia' (settlement) of Villa Asuncion, situated in a lush, steep valley outside the town of Caranavi.

La Llama is owned by Pedro Rodriguez. Over the past decade, Rodriguez has worked tirelessly to establish the production and market for Bolivian specialty coffee, helping hundreds of local farmers recognize and discover the potential of their land and crops.

Pedro Rodriguez entered the coffee industry 30 years ago, leaving his litigation and accounting career to pursue his passion for agriculture. Fifteen years ago, Pedro recognized the potential of Bolivian specialty coffee, and over the past decade, he has established a visionary enterprise called Agricafe, which is dedicated to building long-term relationships with producers based on mutual trust and benefits.

Agricafe has a young, dynamic, and passionate team, including Pedro's son Pedro Pablo and daughter Daniela, representing over 1,000 small producers in the Caranavi province and the more distant South Yungas region. Many Caranavi-based producers deliver their full cherry to Agricafe's Buena Vista Mill in Caranavi. This meticulously designed mill processes many batches separately, allowing complete traceability to individual farmers or colonies.

In the past five years, many producers working with Agricafe have stopped producing coffee (many farmers have turned to coca cultivation for the drug trade - which provides them with higher year-round income), and this has again reduced the production of those still in the coffee game (due to leaf rust and simple farming methods), reducing the country's coffee production by more than half.

In 2012, Pedro Rodriguez invested in planting his own farms to ensure supply and the sustainability of his future business, while showing local farmers what can be achieved by applying modern agricultural techniques and scientific methods. Under this project called 'Fincas Buena Vista', Agricafe now has 12 farms with the aim of planting about 200 hectares of coffee around them.

La Llama is the highest of all farms, located at an altitude of 1,650 meters. This high altitude helps ensure that cherries mature slowly due to stable nighttime temperatures and moderate daytime temperatures. Slow maturation leads to increased concentration of sugars in the cherries and beans, which in turn helps produce sweeter coffee. La Llama has an area of 9.58 hectares, of which 5.24 hectares are coffee. Just reaching the highest point of the farm is an experience in itself. Driving a 4×4 on winding roads as the land rises steeply, one passes through clean and tidy coffee.

Pedro and his family have invested significant time and effort in making this "model" farm something that other producers in the region can learn from. The coffee is carefully organized by variety and neatly arranged, making harvesting easier to manage than on more traditional farms in the region.

This very special lot was selected on September 20, 2017, and processed on the same day at the Rodriguez family's Buena Vista Mill. It was pulped and then fermented in water for 40 hours (during which the water was changed once), then cleaned and dried on raised beds in an open greenhouse with adjustable walls for 339 hours (14 days), which can be raised to allow maximum ventilation. The shade of the greenhouse provides sun protection, ensuring the parchment does not crack and allowing the coffee to dry slowly. While drying, the coffee is regularly turned to ensure it dries evenly and carefully checked for any defects (usually more apparent in wet parchment).

Bolivia: Geography and Coffee Production

Bolivia has approximately eight million people, mostly of mixed Spanish and American descent or their descendants. The territory is mainly divided into three major regions: the eastern lowlands, the western highlands, and the valleys between them. Bolivia has two main cities, Sucre is the official capital, while the important political and economic primary city is La Paz. Wheat, potatoes, sugarcane, and coffee are Bolivia's main crops.

Bolivian Coffee Characteristics

Bolivian coffee trees are purebred Typica varieties. Typica coffee is known for its clean taste. Bolivia's main production area is located in the Yungas plateau at an average altitude of 12,500 feet (in the eastern slopes of the mountains extending west to the Occidental including the Caranavi region). Due to the cold and dry climate in this area, for washed coffee fruits, after sufficient washing and moisture, the continuous blowing of the special cold and dry monsoon in this area helps form a clean and unique taste for coffee fermentation and drying.

Because of organic cultivation, the stability of quality is unexpectedly good. Especially the acceptable roasting levels from city to French dark roast show diverse flavors. Such stable yet diverse characteristics are truly rare and precious. Bolivia - a good coffee worth recommending.

FrontStreet Coffee's Pour-Over Recommendation:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90 degrees

Grind Size: Small Fuji grind level 4

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g of coffee grounds. First pour 25g of water, let it bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g and stop pouring. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then pour again. Slowly pour until reaching 225g of water. Extraction time around 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back flavor profiles of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, stopping the water flow can extend the extraction time.

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