Bolivian Premium – Apolo – Trinidad Indigenous Community- Cafe Kreyol

Description

Bolivian coffee has had quite the struggle the last couple of years. Economic issues alongside coffee disease created a whirlwind of problems for the coffee growers. Many abandoned their trees and moved on to other crops or work. Finally Bolivia coffee is back! Over the last couple of years new plantings along with co-ops spreading more strains through memberships have revitalized the industry. This particular lot stems from our buddy Joey, head of Cafe Kreyol. Joey has been working directly with the indigenous community in Apolo for about 6 years now and the coffee has come a long ways. A very top notch and beautiful offering of Bolivian coffee.

Elevation: 1700 m above sea level
Varietal: Castillo, Typica

Tasting Notes: A very nicely balanced cup of coffee. A little hint of acidity upfront providing some floral and soft fruit at the lighter roasts, balanced with a semi-sweet nutty chocolaty factor. Super light roasts risk a little grassy/herbal but it straightens out at a city+ (medium) and holds up as dark as you want to take it. The darker you go, the more body and edgy chocolate the cup will pick up, once you hit 2nd crack, expect some smoke and roasty tones to compliment the nutty/chocolaty factor.

Roasting Notes: Avoid super light roasts, shines from a city plus to full city roast but also tasty at the dark roast points. If shooting for a lighter roast point, good to drag the roast out a bit. Being a microlot it will roast a little two toned, just make sure the beans on the lighter spectrum get a little development past first crack.

This cooperative is comprised of all indigenous people, that are native to the land on the edge of the Andes mountains, and bordering the rainforest and jungle of the Amazon. The land next to their farms is government protected land, and the indigenous groups have decided to treat their land as if it were protected as well. Most of which have already been certified Smithsonian Bird Friendly.

Cafe Kreyol was connected to these groups through FECAFEB, who is a female owned not for profit located in La Paz. FECAFEB has the goal of increasing the quality of Bolivian coffee overall, and connecting suppliers to buyers throughout the world. FECAFEB has organized and managed competitions in Bolivia, such as the  Presidential Cup of Excellence. Cafe Kreyol had the honor of serving on the international jury for that event in 2016 and 2018.

Apolo is an indigenous region of Northern Bolivia that had never commercially grown or exported coffee, until they began working with Wildlife Conservation Society and Cafe Kreyol in order to create a model of ecological preservation, and economic sustainable income. Cafe Kreyol works directly with 5 indigenous communities of Apolo, that speak a form of Quechua that predates the Incas.

The coffee from this region, with a very defined orange acidity (when roasted light), chocolatey flavor, and sweet aroma, is quickly taking it’s place as one of the top coffees of Bolivia. One of the communities, Trinidad, is also known as our “cocaine for coffee” project. The producers of the Trinidad community, about 85% female, have transitioned totally from producing coca to coffee. A large indigenous community of 35 families, this group was looking for a solution to the coca plant taking all of the nutrients out of their soil, and rendering it more and more impossible to grow other crops. This community is made up of 90% female farmers, who recently transitioned from growing coca to growing coffee. We call it our “Cocaine for Coffee Project”. The land had harder clay soil from growing so much coca, yet in the past 5 years, they have already seen a significant amount of regeneration. We continue to see the same progress, and believe it will be even better as time goes on.