BOLIVIA - Caranavi

The Flavour Profile

Some coffees feel like a warm hug in a mug, and this Bolivia Caranavi is one of them. Roasted medium dark, this single origin specialty coffee pours rich dark chocolate and smooth caramel, with a nutty depth and a little touch of lime at the end that keeps every sip fresh.

That lime comes from the mountains. Grown at 1,400 to 1,600 metres in the Yungas valleys of La Paz, the cherries ripen slowly in the cool air, building dense beans full of natural sugars and bright acidity. Typica brings sweetness and body, while Caturra and Catuai add a lively edge. The fully washed process removes the fruit before drying, so the cup stays clean and clear. Nick's medium dark roast then turns those sugars into caramel and chocolate and softens the acidity to just a hint of citrus. The result is a round, medium-to-full body with a smooth, velvety finish.

Drinking it black? Expect dark chocolate first, then caramel and toasted nuts, with that gentle lime lifting the finish. Lovely as an espresso, in a cafetière or moka pot, and just as good through a V60 or AeroPress if you like a richer filter coffee.

Drinking it with milk? This is where it shines. Milk turns the chocolate into something close to a hot chocolate with a coffee kick, and the caramel comes through even sweeter. Perfect for flat whites, cappuccinos and lattes.

Whatever your brewing method, this Bolivian coffee is freshly roasted to order by Nick in our roastery, just outside Canterbury, in small batches, so it never sits on a shelf. We're happy to grind it for you, just choose your grind when you order, and buy a kilo for our best price.

The Little Details

This fully washed Bolivia Caranavi is a regional lot from smallholder producers around the town of Caranavi, in the Yungas of La Paz, where most farms are under five hectares. It is grown at 1,400–1,600 metres above sea level from Caturra, Catuai and Typica varieties, hand-picked between April and August, and brought together through a local producers' association in Caranavi.

About the Process 

Harvest in Caranavi runs from April to August, and every cherry is picked by hand once it reaches peak ripeness. Each producer carries the harvest to their own small wet mill on the farm, where the cherries are tipped into tanks of water. Ripe cherries sink, while floaters and underripe fruit rise to the top and are removed.

The cherries are then depulped by machine and left to ferment in open tanks for up to 24 hours, which loosens the sticky layer of fruit, called mucilage, still clinging to the bean. Then comes the hard work: the coffee is pushed through channels of running water with wooden paddles, and the water is changed again and again until every bean is completely clean. That care is why a washed coffee tastes so clean and clear.

Many producers sell their coffee while it is still half-dried, at around 50% moisture, a stage known locally as "mote". Every Wednesday and Saturday, farmers from across Caranavi bring their coffee to town, often because their harvest is small, they can't dry it themselves, or they need early income for the season. The association collects it the same day, as there is only a 12 to 24 hour window, and the drying is finished on raised beds inside greenhouses over 5 to 10 days, depending on the weather. The lots are then blended, milled and graded for export.

So every bag brings together the work of many families, from their hillsides to market day, and now to your morning cup.