010 Bolivia — Catuai Rojo

Bolivia – No, not from Kenya
Raymundo Ayca – Finca Mathias, Licoma, Inquisivi Province, La Paz, Bolivia— Washed

When we tried this coffee for the first time, we were convinced it was a Kenyan coffee or at least Kenyan variety such as SL28 or SL32.
This was not the case. We couldn’t be more wrong.

Finca Mathias is located in the town of Licoma. Licoma lies in the Inquisivi Province in Bolivia, located between the capital city La Paz and the large city of Cochabamba. Raymundo Ayla is the owner of Finca Mathias sitting at 1.900 – 2.000 meters above sea level. He is 38 years old and runs the farm with his wife, with whom he got married 16 years ago. Raymundo started the farm six year ago, after working in Argentina making clothes for a few years. With the money he made in Buenos Aires, he bought a pice of land and planted mostly coffee trees (80%) and some vegetables (20%). This was a very big investment as coffee cannot be harvested for three years after the seedlings are planted. Raymundo learned to grow coffee from his father, who is also a coffee farmer.

He has planted mostly Catuai Rojo, a cross between highly productive Mundo Novo and compact Caturra, made by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas, Brazil. The plant is highly productive compared to Bourbon, in part because of its small size, which allows plants to be closely spaced; it can be planted at nearly double the density.

Catuai is not specifically famous for its cup quality, so we were very surprised with the profile when the coffee passed cupping table.

This coffee is not what you expect from a Bolivian washed Catuai.
If you close your eyes and blind taste it, it’s like drinking an amazing Kenyan coffee with a bit fuller body.