Tropic Sun from Amsterdam-based DAK Coffee Roasters is a Bolivian coffee that tastes juicy, sweet, and very summery. In the cup, notes of tropical fruit, mango, and cacao nibs unfold, resulting in a profile built on ripe fruitiness, a subtle juiciness, and a sweeter, slightly cacao-like finish. It’s not a heavy or overripe fruity coffee, but rather a clean and playful filter coffee that retains its lightness and excellent drinkability. Mango adds roundness and sweetness to the flavor, the tropical notes in the cup provide energy, and the cocoa nibs ground it pleasantly. The result is a coffee that feels fun and distinctive, yet at the same time very clean and approachable. DAK Coffee Roasters is based in Amsterdam and has long focused on both distinctive and classic lots, emphasizing clarity and readability in the cup.
The coffee comes from Bolivia, from the Kusillo farm in Caranavi, and is produced by the Los Rodriguez family, one of the most important names in contemporary Bolivian specialty coffee. This lot was sourced through Agricafé, a Bolivian family-owned company founded by Pedro Rodriguez and now run jointly by him, his daughter Daniela, and his son Pedro Pablo. Agricafé works with both its own farms and microlots from smaller producers in the Los Yungas and Santa Cruz regions, and has long been committed to revitalizing and elevating the quality of Bolivian coffee. The variety is Batian, a Kenyan variety that the family brought to Bolivia and planted specifically in Kusilla. It is the combination of the Bolivian terroir, the Los Rodriguez family’s expertise, and this variety that gives the coffee its fresh, sweet, and very contemporary character.
The processing method is natural, but specifically, it’s a smallholder method known as “coco natural,” which has nothing to do with coconut. After harvesting, the cherries are first washed, then spread out on the patio for 48 to 72 hours, and subsequently transferred to stationary box dryers in Buena Vista, where they are dried to a moisture content of 11.5%. This is a process specific to the Los Rodriguez family’s wet mill, and it significantly influences the final cup. Thanks to this process, the coffee tastes sweet, juicy, and clean, with tropical fruit notes that are nicely complemented by a subtle cocoa finish. It’s a coffee that demonstrates just how interesting a modern-processed Bolivian coffee can taste when precise work on the farm is combined with a variety that has been given the space to truly shine in the local environment.