"When ground, it gives off aromas of white pomelo, bergamot, lemon peel, and jasmine. On the sip, white pomelo, bergamot, and lemon peel remain the main profile, joined by jasmine, peach, and a subtle lemon custard note, with a sweet and delicate finish."

Las Alasitas is one of the “model farms” developed by the Rodríguez family, led by Pedro Rodríguez alongside his children, including Daniela and Pedro Pablo, under the Agricafe umbrella. Their work pairs estate-level farming with a wider commitment to rebuilding Bolivia’s specialty segment through training and practical support for neighboring producers. The approach is deliberately systems-focused: repeatable agronomy, careful lot separation, and mill-side control intended to make quality both measurable and teachable. In that context, Las Alasitas functions as a reference point for what the region can produce when picking, processing, and logistics are treated as one continuous chain.

The farm sits in the colonia of Bolinda, a steep, lush mountain valley roughly 10 km outside Caranavi in Bolivia’s La Paz department. Bolinda’s history is closely tied to settlement and agriculture in the area, and the site’s terrain shapes both access and harvest practice, with ripening often spread across multiple passes. High elevation contributes to slower cherry maturation and denser seeds, which can translate to cleaner structure when processing is well managed. Across the Rodríguez farms, forest edges and mixed plantings are commonly referenced as part of an ecosystem approach that supports long-term plant health.

This lot is 100% Gesha (Geisha), a variety known for its aromatic potential and its sensitivity to both site and handling. Gesha is typically low-yielding, which is one reason lots from Las Alasitas are often separated as small micro- or nano-lots rather than blended into larger volumes. In Bolivia, the variety’s performance is closely linked to altitude and the discipline of selective picking, since uneven maturity can easily blur clarity in the cup. The Rodríguez program has used farms like Las Alasitas to trial and refine varietal plantings while keeping the focus on transparent expression rather than masking with aggressive processing.

Harvesting begins with ripe-cherry selection and careful intake routines designed to remove under-ripe fruit and defects before fermentation. Cherries are typically transported quickly to Agricafe’s mill, where they can be inspected, separated by density (including removal of floaters), and handled under hygienic conditions prior to processing. For the washed mosto method, coffee is depulped and then fermented in sealed stainless tanks while submerged in mosto—the juice released from freshly pulped cherries—leveraging its sugars and native microorganisms (and, in some practices, controlled inoculation) to guide a consistent fermentation. The controlled mosto fermentation is described as running for about 48 hours, after which the coffee is washed and dried with close moisture targets using mechanized and/or finished drying systems depending on the lot.

Variety : Green Tip Geisha
Altitude : 1,600–1,650 masl
Process : Washed Mosto
Origin : La Paz, Caranavi