Strawberry Land from the Amsterdam-based roastery DAK Coffee Roasters is a Bolivian filter coffee whose name pretty much gives away what it’s all about. The flavor is dominated by sweet strawberry jam, complemented by amaretto and fresh star fruit. The resulting cup is fruity, juicy, and distinctly sweet, yet it also features an intriguing almond liqueur note that adds greater depth. The star fruit brings a lighter freshness and keeps the profile lively. It’s a natural coffee that you’ll enjoy mainly for its intense fruitiness and somewhat unconventional combination of flavors. This is no unassuming background coffee—Strawberry Land wants to stand out, and it certainly does in the cup.
The coffee comes from Bolivia and is produced by the Rodriguez family, who, through Agricafé, are among the most prominent names in the country’s specialty coffee scene. Pedro Rodriguez began working with coffee in 1986 and today runs the project together with his daughter Daniela and son Pedro Pablo. The family operates its own farms, Fincas Los Rodriguez, and also collaborates with small-scale growers in the Los Yungas and Santa Cruz regions. This lot consists of the Ethiosar variety, and the coffee trees grow at an altitude of approximately 1,400 to 1,800 meters above sea level. Agricafé has long been working with new varieties, implementing stricter production controls, and experimenting with processing methods—efforts that result in a distinctive and very clean flavor profile in lots like this one.
Strawberry Land is processed using the dry method. After harvest, the ripe coffee cherries are dried whole, so the beans remain in contact with the pulp and its natural sugars for an extended period. The natural processing here primarily enhances the intense sweetness and fuller fruity character. That is precisely why strawberry jam comes through so distinctly in the cup, accompanied by a sweeter almond note reminiscent of amaretto. A fresher note of starfruit lightens the entire profile and adds juiciness. The result is a sweet, distinctly fruity drip coffee with an unconventional character that beautifully demonstrates just how interesting and playful contemporary Bolivian coffees can be.