Bolivia is hailed as an ideal place for coffee cultivation, yet its annual production has long remained low, at one point even falling to the level of a minor coffee-producing country. And yet this land has given rise to a Geisha that won the favor of a World Barista Championship runner-up, as well as a Java variety known as Geisha's cousin. From the high-altitude terroir of the Yungas region, to the El Sol de Mañana program promoted by the Rodriguez family, to innovative experiments with the Coco Natural processing method, Bolivian coffee has carved out a winding yet remarkable path toward specialty coffee. Front Street Coffee will guide you through the origins, development history, variety characteristics, and flavor profile of Bolivian coffee, with a focused cupping of a Coco Natural Java coffee bean from the Waliki estate.

Bolivia is a place full of contradictions. The outside world often calls it an ideal country for coffee cultivation, yet actual production has never been able to rise. Front Street Coffee has a deep impression of the coffee here—Bolivian beans often present abundant sweetness and gentle acidity in flavor. At the 2017 World Barista Championship (WBC), Japanese competitor Miki Suzuki chose a Bolivian Geisha to compete, and relying on solid technique and the profound flavor layers of this bean, ultimately won the world runner-up title. Speaking of Bolivian Geisha, Front Street also wants to mention a Java bean cupped not long ago. It can be considered a cousin variety of Bolivian Geisha, with elegant aromatics, balanced acidity and sweetness, and a creamy, fine, and smooth mouthfeel.

Bolivia

Bolivia is located in the heart of South America. It is a landlocked country, bordering Brazil. Its terrain varies dramatically, extending from the snow-capped peaks of the Andes to vast salt flats, with a national average elevation exceeding 3,000 meters. The constitutional capital is Sucre, while the actual seat of government, La Paz, sits at over 3,600 meters above sea level, making it the highest capital in the world. Such high elevation should be a natural advantage for coffee cultivation, but Bolivia's coffee industry has never been able to grow strong, with annual production of only 223,000 bags (60 kg each).

There are multiple reasons for the low production. First is the harsh transportation conditions. Roads in coffee-producing areas are rugged and dangerous, making it very difficult to transport beans out smoothly. North Yungas Road is recognized as the most dangerous road in the world, with the surface hugging cliffs, no guardrails, and frequent fog, leading to frequent rollover accidents. Every year, hundreds of people lose their lives on this road, which is why it is also called the world's number one "Death Road" (El Camino de la Muerte). Such terrible traffic creates enormous obstacles for coffee transport. In recent years, the Bolivian government has realized that safe transport routes are crucial for exports and is investing heavily in road construction.

Another key factor is people. Bolivia has a total population of only about 10.5 million, and most people live in poverty. Growing coca leaves (used to make drugs) is more profitable and more stable, causing many farmers to abandon coffee, and even abandon their farms entirely. Moreover, growing coca requires large amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, causing severe damage to the soil.

In addition, the leaf rust outbreak in 2013 caused Bolivia to lose 50% of its coffee production in just one year, directly reducing it to a minor coffee-producing country.

The Development History of Bolivian Coffee

In 1880, Bolivia had a considerable scale of coffee production, mainly distributed among some large farms north of La Paz.

In 1991, the government launched a plan to encourage indigenous people to grow coffee, but it did not place importance on quality. At the same time, the government encouraged coca leaf cultivation, which was four times more profitable than coffee, so many farmers abandoned coffee, and even completely abandoned their farms.

Around 2000, the United States provided significant aid to Bolivian agriculture, but because the Bolivian government supported coca cultivation, relations between the two countries deteriorated, and coffee farmers became the biggest victims. Later, against the backdrop of Bolivia resuming limited anti-drug operations, many projects helpful to coffee development were restarted, and COE was held with the support of USAID.

In 2004, Cup of Excellence (COE) was held in Bolivia. At that time, 13 specialty beans scored above 84 points in total cupping, and the champion bean scored as high as 90.44 points, causing green bean prices to rise sharply.

In 2009, Bolivia participated in the COE competition for the last time, and due to political factors, it has still not returned to COE.

In 2013, leaf rust struck, and combined with the government's coca leaf policy, Bolivia's coffee production shrank by 70% over the past decade, completely reducing it to a minor coffee-producing country.

In 2018, Bolivia signed a quality inspection agreement with China regarding Bolivian coffee exports.

In 2019, Bolivia's political situation became turbulent, and everything became uncertain again. The coup paralyzed cities, and coffee exports faced numerous difficulties.

Cultivation Model

Bolivian coffee can usually be traced back to a single farm or cooperative. Due to land reform, landowners with massive estates have been greatly reduced since 1991. The country's 23,000 coffee-growing families all cultivate small plots ranging from about 1.2 to 8 hectares.

Coffee-Producing Regions

Bolivia's main coffee-producing region is Yungas, with cultivation at elevations between 800 and 2,300 meters, and a harvest period from July to November. 95% of the country's coffee comes from here. Yungas is located on the eastern side of the Andes, covered by a forest that extends from Peru, crosses Bolivia, and enters Argentina. This region has some of the highest-altitude coffee in the world and is also Bolivia's oldest coffee-producing region. The aforementioned seat of government, La Paz, is located in the western part of this region.

In addition to Yungas, Santa Cruz and Beni also grow coffee. Santa Cruz is located in Bolivia's far east, but its elevation is not high enough, so high-quality coffee is rare there, accounting for about 3% of the national total.

The Rodriguez Family

Rodriguez

The development of Bolivian specialty coffee can be said to be inseparable from the promotion of the Rodriguez family. The Rodriguez family began growing coffee in 1986. Affected by multiple factors such as policy and natural disasters, Bolivia's coffee estates gradually decreased. In order to develop the coffee industry, the Rodriguez family began acquiring land and establishing new estates to grow high-quality specialty coffee, such as Bolivian Geisha coffee beans.

The Rodriguez family's coffee estates comprise a total of 12 estates, 4 in Santa Cruz and 8 in Caranavi, La Paz. The estates have achieved integration of harvesting, processing, packaging, and exporting.

[El Sol de Mañana Program] was a program launched in 2016 by the Rodriguez family to support smallholders in growing high-quality coffee. By providing coffee farmers with more vocational training and knowledge and skills, discounts on the purchase of the latest coffee seeds and related consultation, and fairer trading prices; at the same time, establishing a reward mechanism to encourage those farmers who cultivate seriously and reach a certain cupping score, thereby improving local coffee quality and bringing farmers' income and quality into a virtuous cycle of sustainable operation.

Front Street previously cupped a batch of washed Java Typica coffee beans from the El Sol de Mañana program. The flavor was layered and rich, with soft strawberry acidity, caramel-like sweetness, and a finish with slight cocoa and almond notes.

Coffee Varieties

The varieties traditionally grown in Bolivia mainly include Typica, Catuai, and Red and Yellow Caturra. With the advancement of the specialty coffee wave, over the past two decades many coffee estates have introduced varieties such as Bolivian Geisha, Pacamara, and SL28, while the Rodriguez family's Bolivian Geisha coffee beans come from the world-renowned Hacienda La Esmeralda.

Java Nica originates from an Ethiopian branch called Abisinia and is a native ancient variety. This branch belongs to the same branch and the same place of origin as Geisha, and likewise possesses excellent floral and fruity flavors. For this reason, Java is often called Geisha's cousin.

However, Front Street must point out one thing: the Java mentioned here is different from Java in Indonesia. Indonesian Java is actually a synonym for a coffee-producing region, while Bolivia's Java is a coffee variety; moreover, Indonesian Java has lost its innate excellent genes through hundreds of years of movement, and the two belong to different branches.

Let Front Street briefly review how Java came to the Americas. After leaving Indonesia, the Java variety first spread to the nearby Timor island group, then to Cameroon in East Africa, and was first released to farmers for cultivation in Cameroon in 1980.

In 1991, in order to provide small coffee growers with more variety choices while also taking into account conditions such as low fertilizer requirements, the then CIRAD (International Center for Agricultural Research and Development) introduced Java to Costa Rica, after which it was brought to various countries in Central and South America, and it was found that Java performed better in flavor at high altitudes.

As the Java variety was planted in Central America, Nicaragua's Mierisch family was the first to draw the specialty coffee market's attention to this variety; and in order to distinguish Indonesian Java coffee from the Java variety, the Central American Java variety was named JAVA NICA (meaning Java from Nicaragua). Java coffee has emerged in Central and South America in recent years, and after arriving in Bolivia, it received careful cultivation from the Rodriguez family.

This year, Front Street cupped a Bolivian Coco Natural Java coffee bean, and it came from the hands of the Rodriguez family. It comes from a small estate called Waliki, located in the Bolinda community in a dense, steep valley about 10 kilometers outside Caranavi, La Paz, Bolivia, at an elevation above 1,600 meters. The climate in this area is cold, and the coffee-growing cycle is relatively long. Below, Front Street will introduce this bean in detail.

Processing Method

From the 1990s to the 2000s, thanks to coffee washing stations established by foreign-funded development projects, the vast majority of Bolivia's smallholders adopted traditional washed processing. A small number of large estates, in addition to classic processing methods such as natural, washed, and honey, are also trying special processing methods such as anaerobic fermentation and yeast. Among these few large estates is the Rodriguez family.

As mentioned earlier, Front Street cupped a Bolivian coffee bean using Coco Natural processing, and the Coco Natural process was developed by the Rodriguez family. After selection and weighing, the coffee cherries are carefully washed and placed on raised African drying beds to dry, then turned every hour. After about a week, the coffee cherries are placed into a cocoa dryer.

Previously, cocoa dryers had never been seen used for coffee bean processing, but the Rodriguez family's Pedro has always been innovating and trying different processing techniques. He discovered that a cocoa dryer can dry coffee beans slowly and continuously at low temperatures, thereby reducing the impact of weather conditions.

The coffee beans are placed in large steel drums at a temperature not exceeding 40 degrees Celsius for about 35 hours, turned once every 30 minutes. After the coffee beans are dried, they are transported to La Paz to rest, and then hulled at a dry mill. At this facility, mechanical equipment is used for careful coffee hulling and sorting; in addition, manual sorting under ultraviolet and natural light is also required.

Front Street Coffee: Bolivia Waliki Estate Coco Natural Java

Bolivia Waliki Coco Natural Java

Coffee Region: La Paz

Growing Elevation: 1,600 meters

Coffee Variety: Java

Processing Method: Coco natural

Roasting Recommendations

In order to bring out the aroma and juicy character unique to the Java variety, Front Street adopted a light roast profile.

Front Street Coffee Bolivian Java Coffee Bean Roast Curve

Cupping Flavor

Dry Aroma: fermented aroma, grape

Wet Aroma: honey, floral

On the Palate: grape, citrus, honey, nuts, cream

How Front Street Brews

Front Street considered that this Java bean is a light roast, and lightly roasted beans have a lower extraction rate of coffee solids than dark roasts. Therefore, in order to ensure sufficient flavor can be fully extracted, a higher water temperature was used for brewing, and a finer grind size was also chosen.

Flavor Description

Slight fermented note, grape, slight nuts, floral, medium acidity, juicy mouthfeel.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.