Table of contents
Bolivia
$ 0.55 - $2.29 per ounce
| Varieties | Arabica, Gesha, Typica, Catuai, Caturra, Bourbon |
| How to Serve | Usually served as plain black coffee after a fresh roast and grind. Most Bolivians use a local version of a Moka Pot |
| Flavor | Very light acidity with hints of chocolate, vanilla, and a bit of fruitiness as well |
| Recommended Machine | Pourover, Stovetop, Moka Pot, AeroPress, French Press |
| Good As | Americano, Lungo, Cafe con Leche, Cappuccino, Mocha |
| Price Range | $0.55 – $2.29 per ounce |
| Caffeine Level | 0.1% on average |
Bolivia offers great growing conditions for outstanding coffee. With nutritional soil, high elevations (4600 – 7000 feet above sea level), and high daily temperature variations. The temperature inversions found in the Yungas Valley & Samaipata are ideally adapted to high-quality coffee cultivation.
Because of the area’s isolation, hybrid coffee types have not even been introduced, resulting in an oversupply of elevated Typica and Caturra kinds recognized for their excellent flavor. The types are grown here include the following:
| Arabica | Geisha | Typica |
| Catuai | Caturra | Bourbon |
Bolivian coffees are outstanding – they are always very sweet and pure. I admire their adaptability and the variety of their characteristics. Some have a sugar and caramel sweetness, moderate acidity, a smooth texture, and a rich, dark chocolate texture. Some are richer and winey, with cherries and butterscotch aromas.
The majority of the farmers in this area are descended from the Aymara people, native tribes who have great regard for the soil and have been devoted to organic farming techniques long before there was a financial benefit to do so. The farms are small, ranging in size from one to five hectares. As a result, family members do the majority of agricultural production as well as harvesting.
In this Bolivian coffee review, we will further talk about the Top 5 Bolivian Coffee Brands on Amazon. Besides, we will talk about what are the best Coffee Growing Regions of Bolivia and what are the Best Machines for Brewing Bolivian Coffee at Home.
Bolivia offers great coffee-producing locations since it is both tropical (hot in summer), which is required because coffee is a tropical rainforest tree, and high in altitude. The higher the elevation, the longer it takes for the coffee bean to mature and grow, and the more intense its tastes will be once harvested.
There are several important coffee-growing regions in Bolivia. They are:
However, it should be noted that only one of these is very interesting. The Caranavi province, where 95% of the country’s coffee is grown. So let us discuss this essential Bolivian coffee growing area and find out what is so special about it.
It is no wonder that most of the coffee manufacturing takes place here as the temperature is ideal. Caranavi is located in the eastern part of Bolivia’s Yungas area. It is positioned in the transition zone between the Andes Mountains and the eastern woodlands. The highest mountain (5200-5600 feet) and healthy soil of the area improve the tastes of their natural coffee beans.
The farmers are mostly native people that live on the outskirts of the Andes highlands. One of the most interesting aspects of their coffee production approach is that these local farmers handle their property as if it was part of government-designated areas that surround it. This implies that the producers work with the land’s diverse ecosystem instead of against it.
The coffee beans are cleaned or washed before being shipped out for export. This implies that before drying, the coffee bean is entirely detached from its cherry, resulting in coffee tastes that emphasize the natural attributes of the bean. The coffee is harvested and depulped on the farm, but it travels for at least 8 hours to El Alto (a city near La Paz, one of Bolivia’s cities) to continue the drying process.
We evaluated and assessed some of the best Bolivian coffees on the market. We also included a buyer’s guide for them. We hope this helps you find coffee that you will truly love. Let us discuss the Top 5 Best Bolivian Coffee Brands on Amazon and how we rank them.
We pay attention to the following:
For more detailed information on how exactly we rate the coffee products we suggest in our guides, click here.
Now that you’ve gotten acquainted with our top choices, it’s time to take a closer look at each of them and discuss why exactly we liked these Bolivian coffee brands so much.
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Price: $$30.89 (subject to change) |
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Size: 32 oz |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Medium |
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Producer: Parisi Artisan |
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Beans: Whole |
From bean to glass, all Parisi coffees are handcrafted. Some are Fair Trade verified, others are organic, and others are certified under the artisan standard Eco World Family Farm. Only the best quality, specialty-grade Arabica beans are used in these Bolivian coffee roasts. A medium roast offers this coffee a rich flavor that is smooth as well as silky, with a trace of light bitterness.
There are traces of sweetness such as rich, chocolate mousse, honeysuckle, and gentle, sweet hazelnuts.
Even though Parisi Artisan Bolivian organic Bolivian coffee online is quite an expensive option on Amazon, it should be noted that if you decide to buy these coffee beans, you definitely will not be disappointed. Especially if you love Medium roast Arabica coffee with moderate acidity.
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Price: $$50.63 (subject to change) |
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Size: 5 pounds |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Dark |
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Producer: Finger Lakes Coffee Roasters |
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Beans: Whole |
Finger Lakes Coffee makes sure to source their coffee beans directly from the native farmers of Bolivia, ensuring not only an ethical business model but also a method that encourages support to struggling communities.
After selecting these green beans, every coffee type is roasted to a standard of excellence that maximizes taste potential.
The dark roast on this particular product ensures strong bitterness that is my go-to in the mornings. I always need that quick kick of strong coffee to get me going for the day, and these beans do exactly that.
The price is pretty attractive as well. $50 for 5 pounds of Bolivian brew coffee is a steal. I totally recommend you give this one a try.
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Price: $$23.99 (subject to change) |
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Size: 16 oz |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Medium |
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Producer: Volcanica |
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Beans: Ground |
These beans are produced at very high volcanic mountain elevations from Bolivian coffee plants of the traditional characteristic type of peaberry beans.
This Bolivian Peaberry coffee is well-known for its sweet-toned and gentle fragrance, as well as its strong sweet chocolate tones. The end result is a taste that is lengthy, sweet, as well as cocoa-laced.
Volcanica Coffee is a specialized importer and reseller of unusual gourmet coffee beans dedicated to providing only the highest quality coffee from volcanic locations throughout the world that is both exotic and delicious. Customer satisfaction is assured 100 percent.
Volcanica only sources Bolivian coffee that is organically farmed, Fair Trade, and Rainforest Alliance certified. Their coffee is Freshly roasted, then packaged and sealed to ensure freshness. This is one of the best Bolivian coffee brands as it has Assured 100% Client Satisfaction.
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Price: $$16.52 (subject to change) |
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Size: 14 oz |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Medium-Dark |
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Producer: Trader Joe’s |
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Beans: Whole |
This is a medium-dark roast Arabica whole bean coffee with a sweet, caramel taste. We would never ever recommend a blend in a guide about single-origin coffees, but this one is an exception.
It tastes pretty much the same as single-origin coffee and is much cheaper as well. I discovered this specific blend of coffee a few months ago when visiting Los Angeles and purchased three cans to bring back to Colorado.
This coffee has a robust flavor yet is quite smooth which is a fantastic experience for that first cup of coffee in the morning.
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Price: $$60.73 (subject to change) |
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Size: 5 pounds |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Medium |
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Producer: Larry’s Coffee |
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Beans: Whole |
Larry’s Coffee is a founding member of Cooperative Coffees, a network of independent coffee roasters that import beans directly from farmers in order to define a higher level of collaboration and fair trade.
I have yet to discover a cup of coffee that compares to what I can make at home with this coffee. Larry’s Beans are roasted around 3 hours away from where I used to live. Having said that, ordering this big bag from Amazon is less costly than purchasing it directly.
Everyone’s coffee preferences differ. Mocha java has a pleasant medium taste with no harshness to it. It may be adjusted stronger or weaker by adjusting the number of beans used without significantly altering the flavor.
If you want to make Bolivian coffee, you will need to have a slightly different approach then you would with other beans.
Much like other Latin American countries, Bolivians also love to brew their coffee with a filter pour-over method.
All you have to do is take a paper filter, place it over your mug, fill it up with ground coffee and slowly pour hot water over it to start brewing.
The simplicity of this method is the exact reason why it’s so popular in Latin American countries as well as elsewhere in the world.
The Moka Pot is a very easy method of brewing strong Bolivian coffee without having to use an Espresso Machine.
This particular coffee maker belongs to the Percolator class, which builds pressure at the bottom and slowly pushes the boiling water through the ground beans above. This helps pressurize the grounds themselves as well as prevent them from getting into the final brew itself.
Naturally, this method doesn’t produce the best espresso with a thick crema, but it’s as close as you can possibly get to it without paying thousands of dollars for a machine.
I wasn’t going to use my AeroPress for this, but I figured I might as well give it a go since it’s been sitting there with no purpose after my camping trip.
And I have to say, I was pretty pleasantly surprised. I was expecting the French Press to yield a better result, but I was completely wrong. A french press is great for light roast coffee since it helps with brightening up those flavors. The AeroPress proved to be much better for medium and dark roast beans since it generates more pressure when pressing.
Overall, I’d give the AeroPress method an 8/10, the coffee was amazing, and it took only 2 minutes or so.
Now let’s discuss what kinds of coffee is recommended to brew with Bolivian coffee beans, shall we?
Remember, not all beans are made for all brews, each of them has its hits and its slumps. So in this case, let’s talk about the hits.
Latinos really like to drink their coffee throughout the day, which is why they prefer it if it wasn’t as strong as the one they have in the mornings. This is where Lungo comes into play. It is basically like something between an Espresso and an Americano. It’s not as concentrated as an Espresso, nor is it as diluted as an Americano, making it a perfect middle ground for both taste and strength.
To make it, all you have to do is brew an Espresso and add around 2-3 fluid ounces of water and you’re good to go.
This is especially nice with Bolivian coffee beans since it helps lighten up the acidity and bitterness but retains the sweet aromas of chocolate and cocoa.
A Mocha is basically a latte or cappuccino with chocolate in it. All you will need here is to brew an Espresso, add in a little bit of frothy warm milk, and a teaspoon or tablespoon (depending on how intense you want the chocolate flavor) of cocoa.
Once you’ve added all the ingredients, you just stir gently and wait until everything combines well in the cup.
This method works well with Bolivian coffee simply because it already has some chocolatey notes to it. By adding cocoa directly, we enhance those flavors to help them better shine through the bitterness of the Espresso.
This is a perfect brew to drink with some sweets on the side.
