Bolivia: Brenda Palli

The coffee for this lot came from a mix of Sol De La Mañana producers from the Uchamachi colonia. The largest contributor was Brenda Palli, a 29 year old producer who's been working in Sol De La Mañana since 2021. Her farm, La Hermosa, is located at 1,580 m.a.s.l. in the colony of Villa Rosario. 

To ensure only the very ripest coffee cherries are picked, it's not uncommon for producers in the SDLM program to do 7 or 8 harvesting passes across their plants, many more than producers in other parts of the world do. This is very labour-intensive and yields smaller amounts each pass, but ensures great quality. The downside is that for each delivery of cherries from the SLDM producers in Bolinda, the lots are often too tiny to process separately and so instead, deliveries from all the producers are combined and processed together.

You will likely notice that there's an unusual part of the process on this coffee and instead of being a normal washed lot, it's a mosto washed. So what does mosto mean? It's a Spanish word which describes fresh fruit juices - particularly before they are fermented. The same root gives the English word for this, used in wine-making - a Must. In the case of this coffee, we feel it really helps bring out a lot of juicy, fruity flavours versus a standard washed process and we hope you'll agree. In terms of the specific process, here's how it works:

• You start with two batches of coffee.
• The first batch of coffee (a regular washed coffee) is depulped, fermented in a closed tank, rinsed and taken to the beds to dry.
• The liquids - the Mosto - from that first fermentation are saved, with the pH and microbial levels monitored and managed.
• Batch 2 (this will be the Mosto Washed) is depulped and the Mosto is added to the coffee.
• Once the fermentation breaks down any remaining pulp, the coffee is rinsed and dried.
• Using these fresh, already fermenting juices gives the process a kick start which seems to help develop the complex, juicy flavours in these coffees.

There's a big red grape hit in this cup, but it moves into a crisp and fresh apple finish before the grape comes back again on the aftertaste. The whole thing has a little sprinkle of white sugar, making for a juicy but clean and moreish cup.

• Country: Bolivia
• Department: La Paz
• Province: Caranavi
  
• Farm: La Hermosa
• Producer: Brenda Palli
• Location: 15°48'56.8"S 67°31'40.9"W
• Altitude: 1400 – 1650 m.a.s.l
• Processing method: Mosto Washed
• Varietals: Caturra

Tasting notes: Red grape, apple, white grape.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean cup: (1–8): 6
• Sweetness: (1–8): 7
• Acidity: (1–8): 7
• Mouthfeel: (1–8): 6
• Flavour: (1–8): 6.5
• Aftertaste: (1–8): 6.5
• Balance: (1–8): 6
• Overall: (1–8): 6.5
• Correction: (+36): +36
• Total: (max. 100): 87.5

Roast Information
Medium: Suiting the well-balanced acidity and sweetness of this coffee, requires a steady roast through first and just up to the edge of second, just one or two pops as it cools.