Bolivia
Carmelo Yujra

Washed process Caturra, Catuai, Typica

Flavour: berries, blackcurrant, dark chocolate

These beans come from a small lot from a farm run by Carmelo Yujra, in the lush Caranavi region of Bolivia. Carmelo’s been farming coffee for several years with the help of nearby farmer Rene Viadez.

It’s also one of only four 60kg bags to be produced in the last harvest. With this lot they experimented with an unusual method of processing the coffee for Bolivian farms.

After the coffee is pulped, it’s fermented for 17 hours in water in order to remove the sticky mucilage (the remaining fruit pulp) from the outside of the bean.

It’s then washed and soaked in water for another 24 hours, something that’s common in Kenya but not Bolivia. The coffee is then dried in the sun on raised beds for around 20 days, during which it is frequently turned so it can dry evenly.

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: Carmelo Yujro And Rene Viadez
Country: Bolivia
Region: Caranavi
Altitude: 1700m above sea level
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai, and Typica
Process: washed
Importer: Melbourne Coffee Merchants
Tasting notes: Berries, blackcurrant, dark chocolate
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varieties

Catuai variety

Created by the Instituto Agronomico do Campinas in Brasil, Catuai is a hybrid varietal between Caturra and Mundo Novo.

Caturra variety

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon that was originally discovered in Brazil in 1937, considered to be the first naturally occurring mutation ever discovered.

Typica variety

Considered to be one of the ‘genus’ varietals from which all other varietals have mutated from

The location

Coffee from Bolivia

Historically, Bolivia has not been as popular as its neighbouring countries in terms of exports, but coffee has been present since the 19th century.

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.