Bolivia Alasitas Estate JavaCoffee Beans
Origin
- Region: Bolivia Caravani Arashitas Estate
- Variety: Java
- Process: Cocoa Natural Process
- Roast: Medium Roast
- Altitude: 1700 meters
- Sample Batch: 2026
- Grower: Alasitas Estate
Flavor Notes:
Nuts, cocoa, raisins, red plum, brown sugar
- Aroma: Medium
- Cleanliness: Medium
- Sweetness:Medium
- Acidity:Slight
- Body:Strong
- Bitterness:Slight
- Aftertaste:Medium
- After Cooling:Slight
Bolivia Alasitas Estate JavaCoffee Bean Intro:
Front Street Coffee: Bolivia Alasitas Estate Natural Java Bolivia Alasitas Coco Natural Java Planting Altitude: 1700 meters Processing Method: Cocoa Natural
Flavors: Nuts, cocoa, raisins, red plum, Brown sugar
Speaking of Bolivian Gesha, Front Street has to mention a Java coffee bean we cupped recently. Java can be considered a cousin variety to Bolivian Gesha, offering a unique and elegant flavor profile with sweet and tangy notes, and a creamy smooth mouthfeel. Landlocked in South America, Bolivia borders Brazil. The country features diverse terrains, from the peaks of the Andes to vast salt flats, with an average elevation exceeding 3000 meters. Its constitutional capital is Sucre, but the actual seat of government is La Paz, which sits over 3600 meters above sea level—the highest capital city in the world. High altitudes provide significant advantages for coffee cultivation, yet Bolivia’s coffee industry remains underdeveloped, with an annual production of just 223,000 bags (60kg/bag). Low production stems from several factors. First, transportation is difficult, as coffee-growing regions often have rugged and dangerous roads, making export challenging. The North Yungas Road is recognized as the most dangerous road in the world, with cliffs and no guardrails. Foggy conditions frequently cause accidents, resulting in hundreds of deaths annually. Locals call it the "Death Road" (El Camino de la Muerte). These harsh conditions severely hinder coffee transport. In recent years, the Bolivian government has invested heavily in road infrastructure to improve export logistics. 
Another major issue is Bolivia’s small population of just 10.5 million, many of whom live in poverty. Growing coca leaves (used for narcotics) is more lucrative and stable, leading many farmers to abandon coffee—or even their farms entirely. Coca farming requires heavy chemical pesticides and fertilizers, devastating soil health. Additionally, in 2013, leaf rust disease struck, wiping out 50% of Bolivia’s coffee output in a single year, reducing the country to a minor coffee producer. The Development of Bolivian Coffee In 1880, Bolivia had significant coffee production, primarily on large farms north of La Paz. In 1991, the government launched a program encouraging indigenous communities to grow coffee but neglected quality. Simultaneously, it promoted coca cultivation, which offered four times the profit of coffee, driving many farmers away from coffee farming altogether. In the early 2000s, while the U.S. supported Bolivian agriculture, relations soured due to the government’s coca policies, harming coffee farmers. Later, as Bolivia resumed limited anti-drug efforts, coffee development initiatives resumed—such as COE, supported by USAID. In 2004, the Cup of Excellence (COE) was held in Bolivia, where 13 specialty lots scored over 84 points, with the champion reaching 90.44. Green bean prices surged as a result. Bolivia last participated in COE in 2009. Due to political factors, it has yet to return. In 2013, leaf rust disease, combined with the government’s coca policies, reduced Bolivia’s coffee output by 70% over a decade, further diminishing its status as a minor producer. In 2018, Bolivia signed a coffee export quality inspection agreement with China. In 2019, Bolivia’s political instability created uncertainty again, with a coup paralyzing cities and complicating coffee exports. Bolivian coffee can typically be traced to individual farms or cooperatives. Due to land reforms since 1991, large landowners have significantly decreased. Bolivia’s 23,000 coffee-producing families cultivate on small plots of 1.2–8 hectares. Bolivia’s primary coffee-growing area is Yungas, with elevations of 800–2300 meters and a harvest season from July to November. Yungas produces 95% of Bolivia’s coffee. Located on the eastern slopes of the Andes, it is covered by forests stretching from Peru through Bolivia into Argentina. The region boasts some of the world’s highest-altitude coffee and is Bolivia’s oldest coffee-growing area. As mentioned earlier, La Paz, the government seat, lies west of this region. Beyond Yungas, coffee is also grown in Santa Cruz and Beni. Santa Cruz, in eastern Bolivia, has limited high-quality coffee due to lower elevations, accounting for about 3% of national production. The Rodriguez family has played a pivotal role in Bolivia’s specialty coffee development. Since 1986, they have cultivated coffee, but due to policy changes and natural disasters, many coffee farms dwindled. To revitalize the industry, they acquired land and established new estates for high-quality specialty coffee, including Bolivian Gesha.
The Rodriguez family operates 12 farms—4 in Santa Cruz and 8 in Caranavi (La Paz)—with integrated harvesting, processing, packaging, and export operations. The [El Sol de Manana (Tomorrow’s Sun) Project] was launched in 2016 by the Rodriguez family to support smallholders in producing premium coffee. By providing vocational training, access to discounted high-quality seeds, expert consultations, fair pricing, and performance-based incentives for achieving high cupping scores, the initiative aims to elevate local coffee quality and create a sustainable cycle of improved income and quality. Front Street previously cupped a Washed Java Typica lot from the El Sol de Manana project, featuring rich flavors—soft strawberry acidity, caramel sweetness, and subtle cocoa and almond aftertastes. Traditionally, Bolivia’s coffee farms grew varieties like Typica, Catuai, and Red/Yellow Caturra. With the rise of specialty coffee, many estates introduced varieties such as Bolivian Gesha, Pacamara, and SL28 over the past two decades. The Rodriguez family’s Bolivian Gesha originates from the world-renowned Finca El Velo. Java (Java Nica) comes from Ethiopia’s Abyssinia lineage—an ancient heirloom variety. This lineage shares the same origin and exceptional floral-fruity profiles as Gesha, hence Java is often called Gesha’s cousin. However, it’s important to note that this Java is distinct from Indonesia’s Java, which refers to a coffee region. Bolivian Java is a variety. Over centuries, Indonesian Java lost its genetic excellence, making them different lineages. To briefly trace Java’s journey to the Americas: After Indonesia, Java varieties spread to nearby Timor islands, then to Cameroon in East Africa, where they were first released to farmers in 1980. In 1991, to offer smallholder farmers more variety options while addressing low fertilizer needs, CIRAD (the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas) introduced Java to Costa Rica. It later spread across Central and South America, where it excelled at high altitudes. As Java gained traction in Central America, Nicaragua’s Mierisch family brought it to the specialty market’s attention. To distinguish it from Indonesian Java, they named the Central American variant JAVA NICA (Java from Nicaragua). Java has risen in the Americas and reached Bolivia, where the Rodriguez family meticulously cultivated it. This year, Front Street cupped a Bolivian Cocoa Natural Java from the Rodriguez family. It comes from Alasitas Estate, spanning 20.6 hectares at over 1700 meters. The region’s cold climate results in a longer coffee maturation cycle. Details on this lot follow. From the 1990s to the 2000s, thanks to foreign-funded projects establishing wet mills, most Bolivian smallholders used traditional washed processing. A few larger estates experimented with classic methods (natural, washed, honey) and specialty techniques like anaerobic fermentation and yeast—includings the Rodriguez family. Earlier, Front Street cupped a Bolivian coffee processed with Cocoa Natural—a method developed by the Rodriguez family. After selection and weighing, the cherries were carefully washed and dried on raised African beds, turned hourly. About a week later, they were moved to a cocoa dryer. Cocoa dryers had never been used for coffee before, but Pedro Rodriguez innovated relentlessly, discovering that cocoa dryers slowly and steadily dry beans at low temperatures, reducing weather dependency. The beans rested in large steel tanks at ≤40°C for ~35 hours, flipped every 30 minutes. After drying, the beans were transported to La Paz for resting, then hulled at a dry mill. The facility meticulously mechanically hulled and sorted the beans, followed by manual sorting under UV and natural light.
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Region Intro:
Bolivia is one of the poorest countries in Latin America, a landlocked nation bordered by Brazil and Colombia. Although it is a country with great potential for coffee exports, its production has always been rather scarce; the conditions for growing coffee are excellent, but the challenges are also extremely daunting, and the result is an exceptionally rich agricultural history built on a very, very difficult land.
Coffee production in Bolivia is dominated by smallholder farming systems; the country has 23,000 small farms ranging in size from 2-9 hectares. What is rather unusual is that roughly 40% or less of Bolivia's coffee culture is oriented toward domestic consumption. Moreover, nearly all of Bolivia's cultivation is done organically.
Brewing Tips:
Dose: 15g | Ratio: 1:15 | Temp: 92°C | Grind: Ek43 10-click, 75% through 20-mesh sieve, C40 24–26 click | Method: V60, 3-pour | First pour: 30g bloom for 30s. Second pour: 120g (scale: 150g) by 1:05. Third pour: 75g (scale: 225g) by 1:45. Total brew time: 2 mins. Remove V60.
Flavor Cup Report:
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