Bolivia: Humberto Mamani, Pacamara, Oxidised Coco Natural
Humberto Mamani
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Bright, juicy pineapple pops from the first sip. Super sweet, with glace cherry on the finish, it's also a layered and complex cup. As it cools, hints of pear drops and raspberry appear and a bruised fruit funk of stewed peaches develops on the aftertaste.
Humberto Mamani farms ten hectares in the colonia of Uchumachi – a sizeable operation by Bolivian standards – with help from his daughter Lucia and son David, who live on the farm with him. He's a long-time coffee producer with an established knowledge base, though since 2015 he's been part of the Sol de la Mañana program run by our friends at Agricafe. For Humberto, the program's real value lies in its infrastructure and market connections rather than foundational training – he already had that covered.
What he didn't have was Pacamara. Off his own initiative, Humberto diversified beyond traditional varietals like Catuai to plant this distinctively large-beaned variety – still a rarity in Bolivia. He's one of only a handful of producers in the country growing it, which makes lots like this genuinely exotic. The flavour potential caught our attention immediately.
On the first night of his most recent trip to Bolivia, our Green Buyer Roland happened to meet Humberto at the Buena Vista mill during a cherry delivery – by coincidence rather than any plan. The next day, this lot appeared in the blind cupping lineup. It was a definite winner.
Once Humberto's perfectly selected Pacamara cherries arrive at Buena Vista, they're in the hands of Adrian Silva – a chemical engineer by training, now Head of Processing for the Los Rodriguez operations. Adrian approaches coffee with a scientist's curiosity, running ongoing experiments to understand exactly how variables during processing shape what ends up in your cup. Every lot is tracked for temperature, pH and microbial activity throughout.
This coffee uses Agricafe's Coco Natural process with an Oxidation-Fermentation regime – a method developed at the mill years ago and continually refined since. Here's the thinking: flavour development happens in two key phases, and Adrian's goal is to manipulate both.
First, the freshly picked cherries undergo a short outdoor pre-drying stage, rapidly reducing moisture to prevent defects while preserving the complex carbohydrates in the fruit – the building blocks of flavour. Then the coffee moves to the Coco dryers: static wooden boxes with metal grilles at the base, allowing precise control of airflow and temperature. This extended, controlled fermentation is where those bold tropical fruit notes develop – without sacrificing the clarity and crispness that makes the cup sing.
The proof? This same processing method, applied to a Pacamara from the previous harvest, was used by Nicolás Varoch to win the 2025 Bolivian Barista Championship. Roland was lucky enough to watch the winning routine at the Santa Cruz coffee festival – the day before visiting the farms.
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- Country: Bolivia
- Region: Caranavi
- Colonia : Uchumachi
- Producer: Humberto Mamani
- Elevation: 1600 m.a.s.l.
- Size : 10 hectares
- Variety: Pacamara
- Processing method: Oxidised Coco Natural
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Medium
An exotic coffee that needs a careful hand. The Coco Natural processing has built in layers of tropical fruit and funky complexity - our job is to preserve it, not compete with it. Take the roast cleanly through first crack, let it settle and develop in the gap, then finish towards the end of the gap before any hint of second crack. Too dark and you'll lose that bright pineapple acidity; too light and the cup falls flat. Find the balance and you'll get the full journey from juicy cherry sweetness through to that bruised fruit funk on the finish.
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Tasting notes: Pineapple, glace cherry, stewed peaches.
Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores
- Clean Cup: 6.5/8
- Sweetness: 7/8
- Acidity: 6.5/8
- Mouthfeel: 6/8
- Flavour: 8/8
- Aftertaste: 6/8
- Balance: 6/8
- Overall: 8/8
- Correction: (+36): +36
- Total: 90/100
If you would like to find out more about how we score coffees, make sure to read our blog post "What Do Coffee Cuppings Scores Actually Mean?" by clicking here.
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Our coffee is roasted fresh and ships quickly – which means it might arrive a little lively. Here's the thing: freshly roasted beans are still busy releasing carbon dioxide (a natural byproduct of roasting), and all that activity can make your brew taste a bit sharp or unsettled.
Give it a few days to calm down and something lovely happens. Those brighter, edgier notes mellow out, sweetness develops, and the flavours you're actually after can really come into focus.
We recommend resting your coffee for at least 5-7 days from the roast date on the bag before brewing. A little patience goes a long way.
That said, this is just what we've found works best – not a rule. If you can't wait, we completely understand. Tuck in whenever you like.
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