Name: Bolivia Heirloom #1 Felix Paredes Direct Trade 2026
Brand: Chocolate Alchemy
SKU: 47748204986622
Price: 20.33 USD
Availability: InStock

Bolivia Heirloom #1 Felix Paredes Direct Trade 2026

Origin: Bolivia
Region: Alto Beni Beniano
Type: Heirloom Cacao Project, #1 - Felix Paredes
Sourcing: Direct Trade
Crop Year: 2026

The aroma has distinct nutty caramel and soft chocolate. It has a juicy quality that kicks in within the first bite. There is a distinct tang. It is present but just right and is very approachable. The flavor is round flavor and full. There is no particular nut flavor but an impression nonetheless of nuttiness. It isn’t anything to worry about in regards to roasting. Lower tones come out that have me giving it earthy notes but it is clean. It finishes incredibly chocolate forward and deeply sweet.

Just like last year, it has the perfect amount of bitterness and virtually no astringency. As the chocolate melts in your mouth (I won't judge you if you simply chew the first few bites) there is soft and supple leather, clean loam and yet more softness in the form of rich cured tobacco leaf and a panorama of savory nuts.

Rounding out the whole chocolatey profile are sweet ripe brown fruits and a satisfying yet subtle savory umami that I can't seem to get enough of. It is going to work in the darkest or lightest chocolate. It will be hard to go wrong.

Profile Drum Roasting: I was surprised this bean too the aggressive hand I dealt it but it did and with flying colors. Really, words are not the best medium for conveying how to roast. The profile I used for this is 11:40/13:30/17:20 @ 260 F. What you should pull out of this is that can come in hot and heavy but steady and in control so you can slow it down as it requires. 2 minutes in the development phase to bring out the chocolate is just great.

Behmor: Due to the cold start of the the Behmor, you can just set it on the 1 lb setting with 2.5 lb of cocoa and go. When you begin getting aromatic notes, somewhere around 4 minutes left (14 minutes elapsed of the 18 minute start) drop the power to P3 (50% power) and continue roasting for about another 6-8 minutes, waiting for the aroma to either decrease or get sharp. This is all of course if you don't have a thermocouple in the beans (Modifying your Behmor) If you have that you can follow the profiles above.

Oven Roasting: I've been experimenting a lot recently with a less fussy way to oven roast and I find this procedure works pretty well. It is moderately predictable, repeatable and although not as dynamic and controllable as a drum roaster, does a good job. You will need an IR thermometer. Roast 2 lb of beans. Preheat your over to 350 F. Place your cocoa beans in a single layer on a baking sheet and into the oven. Stir the beans at 5 minutes and check the temperature. Continue roasting until the surface temperature reads 205-215 F (it may well vary across the beans). At that point, turn your oven down 10-15 F above your target EOR, in this case 260 + ~15 = 275 and continue to roast, stirring every 5 minutes until approximately 250 F. Again, there will be variation but the beauty of this method is having turned the oven down it is difficult to over roast. If you do find your roast is progressing too fast, adjust accordingly, starting at 325 F and/or changing your target to 255 F. Overall you may well roast 30-40 minutes. The important part here is to get good momentum going in a hot oven and then basically coasting to finish.

Bolivia doesn't get nearly the attention it deserves in the fine cacao world, and that's part of what makes this origin so compelling. When I asked about the background of this cacao, this story unfolded.

About This Origin

Volker Lehmann is a German-born tropical agronomist who moved to Bolivia in 2000. In 2009 he built the Flor de Cacao processing centre in Palos Blancos — a state-of-the-art facility designed from the ground up to develop fine flavor protocols for Alto Beni cacao. The very first production won recognition at the International Cocoa Awards in Paris. In 2014, the Alto Beni cacao earned Heirloom Cacao Preservation (HCP) #1 designation — the first ever awarded by the organization.

Then in 2015, the center had to close. A combination of funding shortfalls, high cocoa prices, and a production collapse driven by Monilla disease forced Flor de Cacao into dormancy for eight years. Volker reopened the facility and reconnected with his network of farmers — some of them now in their seventies — to bring this cacao back to the market.

What makes Alto Beni genetically distinct is a story of quiet resilience. While neighboring countries defaulted to CCN51 clones as a Monilla remedy, Alto Beni farmers did something different entirely: they kept selecting from their best local trees, saving seeds, and evolving their own cacao pool. This happened largely outside the reach of international development programs. The result is a living genetic archive of old Trinitario varieties shaped by decades of farmer-led selection.

Felix Paredes, one of Volker's longest-standing and most trusted producers, is at the heart of what you're tasting. At 74, Felix has spent years selecting eight high-performing local clones for his three-hectare farm — a thoughtful, deliberate approach to variety management that shows in the cup. In 2024, Volker created a special commemorative lot from Felix's farm to mark the HCP's 10th anniversary, auctioned as a Grand Cru of Alto Beni. This is that cacao.

I find it genuinely fascinating how distinct these beans taste compared to other Bolivian origins grown from related genetics — proof of how much cultivation practice and post-harvest protocol shape what ends up in the chocolate. I'm proud to carry this one and I hope you'll feel the same way.

Post-Harvest Details

Fermentation: Box fermentation at Flor de Cacao centre, Palos Blancos
Drying: Solar dryers and open patios, on-site
Sorting: Hand sorted prior to export
Packaging: 50 kg polypropylene and Ecotact sacks

Farm & Region Details

Farmer: Felix Paredes
Farm size: 3 hectares
Clones selected: 8 local elite varieties, farmer-selected
Region: Alto Beni, Bolivia
Processing centre: Flor de Cacao, Palos Blancos (est. 2009, reopened ~2023)
Genetics: Old Trinitario, evolved through local farmer selection since the 1970s
HCP status: Heirloom Cacao Preservation #1 (designated 2014)