How Coffee Development in Bolivia Shaped Geisha and Java Lots
Bolivia produces only about 223,000 bags of coffee a year, yet its coffee shows abundant sweetness and soft acidity. The Rodriguez family has driven much of the country's specialty coffee development, and a Bolivian Geisha placed second at the 2017 World Barista Championship in the hands of Japanese competitor Miki Suzuki, drawing attention to the origin.
Java works as a cousin variety to Bolivian Geisha, with an elegant aroma, balanced acidity and sweetness, and a creamy mouthfeel. A Waliki Estate Coco Natural Java lot cupped by the source showed how processing method, roasting curve, and brewing parameters together shape the final cup. Bolivia's high altitude and rugged growing roads help explain why overall output stays low.
Although Bolivia is hailed as an ideal place for coffee cultivation, its production has always been limited, yet its coffee impresses with rich sweetness and soft acidity. From the cupping perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article reviews the historical ups and downs of Bolivian coffee, its production area distribution, and cultivation models, focusing on how the Rodriguez family has driven the development of specialty coffee, and delving into the origins of the Geisha and Java varieties. The article also provides a detailed record of a Waliki Estate Coco Natural Java coffee bean cupped by Front Street, from processing method, roasting curve, to brewing parameters and flavor description, fully presenting the unique charm of this bean.
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Bolivia is a country full of talking points. Although considered a promised land for coffee cultivation, its production has always been low. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) still vividly remembers the exquisite flavors of Bolivian coffee, which often manifest in abundant sweetness and soft acidity. In the 2017 World Barista Championship (WBC), Japanese competitor Miki Suzuki chose Bolivian Geisha coffee beans and, with superb skills and the deep flavor layers of local coffee, ultimately won the world runner-up. Speaking of Bolivian Geisha, Front Street cannot help but mention a Java coffee bean previously cupped. Java can be called a cousin variety of Bolivian Geisha, exuding a unique and elegant aroma, with balanced acidity and sweetness, and a creamy smooth mouthfeel.
Bolivia Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America, adjacent to Brazil. The country has complex and diverse terrain, from the towering peaks of the Andes to vast salt plains, with an average altitude of over 3,000 meters. The constitutional capital is Sucre, while the actual seat of government, La Paz, is at an altitude of over 3,600 meters, making it the highest capital in the world. High altitude should bring significant advantages for coffee cultivation, yet Bolivia's coffee industry remains weak, with an annual production of only 223,000 bags (60kg/bag). There are multiple reasons for the low production. First, transportation conditions are harsh; roads in coffee-growing areas are often rugged and dangerous, making it difficult to transport coffee out. The North Yungas Road is recognized as the world's most dangerous road, with mountain roads clinging to cliffs without guardrails, frequent fog, and rollover accidents occurring from time to time. Hundreds of people die in traffic accidents each year, earning it the name of the world's number one "Death Road" (El Camino de la Muerte). Poor transportation brings huge obstacles to coffee transport. In recent years, the Bolivian government has realized the importance of safe transportation for exports and is investing heavily in road construction.
Another key reason is Bolivia's sparse population, only 10.5 million people, and most of the population is quite poor. Growing coca leaves (for drugs) is more profitable and more secure, leading many farmers to abandon coffee, and even completely abandon their farms. Growing coca requires large amounts of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, causing great damage to the soil. In addition, in 2013, leaf rust struck, and in just one year, Bolivia lost 50% of its coffee production, directly becoming a minor coffee-producing country.
History of Bolivian Coffee Development In 1880, Bolivia's coffee production was considerable, mainly concentrated in some large farms north of La Paz. In 1991, the government implemented a plan for indigenous people to grow coffee, but did not attach importance to coffee quality. Against the backdrop of government encouragement to grow coca leaves, whose profits reached four times that of coffee, many farmers abandoned coffee and even completely gave up their farms. In the early 2000s, the United States strongly supported Bolivian agriculture, but because the Bolivian government supported coca cultivation, relations with the United States deteriorated, and coffee farmers suffered the most. Later, under a limited resumption of the anti-drug war in Bolivia, many plans conducive to coffee development were restarted, such as the COE, which was held with support from USAID.
In 2004, the Cup of Excellence (COE) was held in Bolivia. At that time, 13 specialty beans scored over 84 points in cupping, and the champion bean scored as high as 90.44 points, causing green bean prices to soar. In 2009, Bolivia participated in the COE competition for the last time. Due to political factors, the country has still not returned to COE. In 2013, leaf rust struck, coupled with the government's coca leaf policy. Over the past decade, Bolivia's coffee production decreased by 70%, 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 turmoil made everything uncertain again. The coup paralyzed cities, and coffee exports faced numerous difficulties.
Cultivation Models Bolivian coffee is usually traceable to a single farm or cooperative. Due to land reform, landlords with huge tracts of land have significantly decreased since 1991. Bolivia's 23,000 coffee-producing families all grow coffee on small farms ranging from about 1.2 to 8 hectares.
Coffee Production Areas Bolivia's main coffee production area is Yungas, with cultivation altitudes of 800 to 2,300 meters, harvest period from July to November, and 95% of Bolivia's coffee comes from this region. Yungas is located on the eastern side of the Andes, covered by an entire forest that originates in Peru, crosses Bolivia, and enters Argentina. This production area has some of the world's highest-altitude coffee and is also Bolivia's oldest coffee-producing region. The aforementioned government seat, La Paz, is located in the western part of this production area. In addition to Yungas, Santa Cruz and Beni also grow coffee. Santa Cruz is located in the easternmost part of Bolivia, but due to insufficient altitude, high-quality coffee is rare, with cultivation accounting for about 3% of the national total.
Rodriguez Family Rodriguez The development of specialty coffee in Bolivia can be attributed to the Rodriguez family. The Rodriguez family began growing coffee in 1986. Affected by policies, natural disasters, and other factors, Bolivian coffee estates gradually decreased. 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 coffee estates include a total of 12 estates, 4 in Santa Cruz and 8 in Caranavi, La Paz. The estates integrate harvesting, processing, packaging, and exporting. [El Sol de Manana] is a plan initiated by the Rodriguez family in 2016 to support small farmers in growing high-quality coffee. By providing coffee farmers with more vocational training and knowledge and skills, discounts on the latest coffee seeds and related consultations, and fairer trading prices; at the same time, setting up incentive mechanisms for farmers who grow carefully 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 Manana project, with rich flavors and mouthfeel, soft strawberry acidity, caramel sweetness, and a slight cocoa and almond finish.
Coffee Varieties
Bolivia's traditional cultivated varieties mainly include Typica, Catuai, Red and Yellow Caturra, etc. With the advancement of the specialty coffee wave, in the past two decades, multiple coffee estates have introduced varieties including Bolivian Geisha, Pacamara, SL28, etc., and the Bolivian Geisha coffee bean seeds of the Rodriguez family come from the world's most famous Hacienda La Esmeralda. Java (Java Nica) comes from a branch in Ethiopia called Abisinia and is an ancient native variety. This branch is actually the same branch and same place of origin as Geisha, and also has excellent floral and fruity flavors. For this reason, Java is often called Geisha's cousin. However, Front Street should remind that the Java mentioned here is different from Indonesian Java. Indonesian Java is actually a synonym for a coffee production area, while Bolivian Java is a coffee variety; moreover, Indonesian Java has lost its innate excellent genes through hundreds of years of migration. The two are different branches.
Front Street will first 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, CIRAD (International Center for Research and Development) introduced Java to Costa Rica, and it was subsequently brought to various countries in Central and South America, where it was found that Java performed well in flavor at high altitudes. As the Java variety was planted in Central America, the Mierisch family in Nicaragua first brought this variety to the attention of the specialty coffee market; and in order to distinguish Indonesian Java coffee from the Java variety, they named the Central American Java variety JAVA NICA (meaning Java from Nicaragua). Java coffee has emerged in Central and South America in recent years. After coming to Bolivia, it has been carefully cultivated by the Rodriguez family. This year, Front Street cupped a Bolivian Coco Natural Java coffee bean, which came from 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 altitude of over 1,600 meters. The climate in this area is cold, and the coffee cultivation cycle is relatively long. Front Street will introduce this bean in detail below.
Processing Method From the 1990s to the 21st century, thanks to foreign-funded development projects that established coffee washing stations, the vast majority of small farmers in Bolivia adopted traditional washed processing. A few 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 processing 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 in a cocoa dryer. Previously, cocoa dryers had never been seen used for coffee bean processing, but Pedro of the Rodriguez family has always been innovating and trying different processing techniques, and discovered that cocoa dryers 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, turning every 30 minutes. After the coffee beans are dried, they are transported to La Paz to rest, and then hulled at a dry factory. In this factory, 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 (FrontStreet Coffee): Bolivia Waliki Estate Coco Natural Java Bolivia Waliki Coco Natural Java Coffee production area: La Paz Cultivation altitude: 1,600 meters Coffee variety: Java Processing method: Coco natural
Roasting Recommendations In order to bring out the aroma and juicy quality unique to the Java variety, Front Street adopted a light roasting approach.
Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Bolivian Java Coffee Bean Roasting Curve
Cupping Flavor Dry aroma: fermented aroma, grape Wet aroma: honey, floral Palate: grape, citrus, honey, nut, cream
How Front Street Brews Front Street considered that this Java bean is light-roasted. Light-roasted beans have a lower coffee substance dissolution rate than dark-roasted ones. Therefore, in order to ensure sufficient extraction of enough flavor, a higher water temperature was used for brewing, and a finer grind size was also chosen.
Flavor Description Slight fermented feel, grape, slight nut, floral, medium acidity, juicy mouthfeel.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
