Alasitas Coffee Beans

High altitude produces great beans — this has long been a common belief among coffee enthusiasts, though of course altitude isn’t the only factor affecting coffee quality. Generally speaking, any region above 1,200 meters in elevation is home to high-quality Arabica coffee. Today, we’re looking at Alasitas coffee beans from Bolivia’s high-altitude producing areas.

Bolivia is a landlocked country in South America, bordering Brazil and Colombia. However, it is not as developed as its neighbors and is even one of the poorest coffee-producing countries in the world. According to Front Street Coffee, though, the capital city of La Paz in Bolivia sits at an elevation of over 3,600 meters, making it the highest capital city in the world. This also makes it highly suitable for cultivating premium Arabica coffee varieties.

The Bolivian capital, La Paz, is located at an extremely high altitude, which is why this region is also the most renowned coffee-growing area in Bolivia. The region also includes smaller sub-regions such as Caranavi (Caravani), Yungas, and Inquisivi. Among them, Finca Alasitas (Alasitas Estate) is one of Bolivia’s well-known coffee farms, situated within the Caranavi sub-region. Managed by the local specialty coffee advocates, the Rodríguez family (Finca Los Rodríguez), it supplies high-quality coffee beans to the market every year.

This particular coffee is of the Caturra variety and has undergone Bolivia’s typical cacao natural processing method. According to Front Street Coffee’s cupping notes, it has unique flavor characteristics: the dry aroma offers notes of sugarcane, while the brewed cup reveals a fermented acidity. Upon tasting, you’ll experience a fermented acid profile, grape juice, raisin, with rich aromas and a smooth mouthfeel.