Geir and Carson Oglend of Drumroaster Coffee gave me 1/4 of a pound of one very, very fine Bolivian coffee – COE. Lot#: 11 Félix Yana Mamani – Café Montaña
Cup of Excellence.
Félix Yana is a young coffee producer. Married a few years with three children, who will be going to school this year, Félix belongs to the Cooperativa San Ignacio, an organization that has been a Cup of Excellence winner in the past. Félix has participated in the competition before, and he understands the importance of the event. “It’s very important. I’ve participated before, but I’ve never won. For me the good thing about the competition is that it’s good for the coffee sector. It’s helped us improve our quality.”
This great coffee comes from Colonia San Ignacio, Carrasco La Reserva County – some 1600 meter above sea level in Bolivia – and we were astounded!
Café Montaña has a remarkably balanced cup with nary a trace of bitterness. It has a delightful milk chocolate overtone that is enveloping and comfortable – with some very distinctive tangerine notes. The Drumroaster coffee folks roasted this a tad on the light side – probably a minute or two after first crack – and they appeared to be getting the best possible profile on this bean.
If you live on Vancouver Island or know someone who is carrying this Bolivian COE – Café Montaña… jump at it!