Episode 594: Bolivia Bebeto Mamani Washed

The name of this coffee producer may sound a little familiar: Bebeto ('Beto' for short) is the son of the legend that is Teodocio Mamani. Teodocio owns Finca Canton Uyunense, which is a farm we have worked with since 2012.

His farm is located in 18 de Mayo, which is a municipality of Caranavi (and part of canton Uyunense). Lots of farms can be called a variation on these names because the land traditionally tends not to have a name.

This year is the fifth year that Bebeto has grown coffee under his own guardianship, and it's the fourth year that he has processed it himself too. Just like previous years, and as you'd expect from a Mamani, the results are delicious.

Bebeto used a depulper to remove the cherry, then left the coffee to go through a dry fermentation process for 16–18 hours, and then ran it through the scrubber section of the pulper to remove the final remains of the mucilage. Bebeto then transferred the coffee to raised African beds, where it dried in around 7–9 days.

The picking method Bebeto uses is called 'Ayne'. It's the same method his dad uses on Canton Uyunense. This method involves selective picking (not stripping the tree, like their neighbours do), and it demands much more labour and incurs much higher costs. But because of this method, Bebeto gets more coffee he can sell as specialty, and the cup profile is improving year after year.

This coffee starts with chocolate, with just a hint of red apple peel mixed in. That sweetness keeps going, but shifts towards soft brown sugar on the finish. The delicate fruit hints also shift at the end, leaving an unusual aftertaste which reminds me of lychees, but pulls you back for more of that chocolate.

• Country: Bolivia
• Department: La Paz
• Region: Yungas
• Province: Caranavi
• Municipality: 18 de Mayo
• Producer: Bebeto Mamani
• Varietals: Caturra
• Altitude: 1,600–1,750 m.a.s.l.
• Processing method: Washed
• Fermentation: 16–18 hours
• Drying method: Raised beds
• Other crops grown: citrus, papaya, banana, wild forest

CUPPING NOTES

Chocolate, red apple peel, brown sugar, lychee.

Clean Cup: (1-8): 6.5

Sweetness: (1-8): 7

Acidity: (1-8): 6

Mouthfeel: (1-8): 6

Flavour: (1-8): 6.5

Aftertaste: (1-8): 7

Balance: (1-8): 6

Overall: (1-8): 6

Correction:(+36): +36

 

Total (max 100): 87

 

 

Roast Information

Medium Dark - through first crack, slow it down a little but keep pushing it towards second crack. Don't let second crack get going - you're looking for the very first pops of it as the roast finishes, no more.