New Special Reserve Release - Bolivia: Las Alasitas, Geisha, Coco Natural

There's something genuinely thrilling about tasting a coffee that makes you stop mid-sip. That moment of "wait, what is that?" followed by an immediate need to taste it again. This Geisha from Finca Las Alasitas in Bolivia is exactly that kind of coffee – and it's just landed in our Special Reserve collection.

Jasmine florals burst through immediately. Then comes creamy lemon curd and bright lime zest, with mango lingering on the finish like it doesn't want to leave. It's the kind of cup that makes you forget you're supposed to be taking notes.

Geisha: A Varietal That Demands Everything

Geisha needs no introduction if you've spent any time in specialty coffee circles. Originally discovered in the cloud forests of southwestern Ethiopia in the 1930s, the variety has become something of a legend – known for hauntingly floral aromatics, delicate sweetness, and an elegance that sets it apart from just about everything else.

(A quick note on spelling: you'll see this variety written as both "Geisha" and "Gesha" across the industry. The latter is arguably more historically accurate – it references the Gori Gesha forest in Ethiopia where the variety originates. But we take our lead from what the producers themselves put on the bag, and the Rodríguez family use "Geisha". So that's what we use too.)

Here's the thing, though. Geisha is famously difficult to grow. The plants are delicate, with thin foliage and weak root systems that make them low-yielding and tricky to cultivate. It takes real commitment – and a meticulous, scientific approach – to grow it well.

Which brings us to the Rodríguez family.

The People Who Saved Bolivian Coffee

If you've been following our Bolivian coffees over the years, you'll know we hold the Rodríguez family in particularly high regard. We've worked with them since 2016, and the partnership deepened in 2018 when we joined forces with Hasbean, who had already been working with the family for several years.

Their story is worth understanding. In 1986, Pedro Rodríguez walked away from his banking career to pursue his passion for agriculture. He recognised Bolivia's exceptional potential for coffee growing – high altitudes in the Andes, nutrient-rich soils, favourable microclimates – and founded Agricafe as a small exporting business.

But by the early 2010s, Bolivian coffee was in freefall. Annual exports dropped from around 70,000 bags in 2010 to just 22,000 by 2019. Coffee farms were being abandoned left and right as producers struggled against leaf rust, changing climate conditions, and competition from coca (easier to harvest, more profitable, year-round picking). Unlike neighbouring countries, Bolivia lacked any centralised body to support or promote the industry.

The Rodríguez family watched the industry they loved shrinking before their eyes. And then they did something about it.

In 2012, they made a bold decision: if coffee production was going to survive in Bolivia, they would need to start farming themselves. They consulted leading specialty coffee agronomists from around the world, trialled different varieties and techniques, and documented everything they learned. Today, Fincas Los Rodríguez encompasses 12 farms and around 130 hectares of coffee. They've also established Sol de la Mañana – Bolivia's first producer mentoring programme – which now supports over 100 smallholder producers.

Everything they do is executed to the highest standard. These aren't just good farmers. They're pioneers who have quite literally saved Bolivian coffee from disappearing.

Finca Las Alasitas: Where This Coffee Comes From

Tucked into the steep green valleys of Bolinda, just outside Caranavi, Las Alasitas sits at around 1,642 metres above sea level. The farm was established in 2014 as part of Agricafe's project to revive Bolivia's coffee industry, and it now serves as the family's variety nursery – an experimental hub where agronomist Rodrigo Frigerio tends to seedlings of Geisha, Java, Caturra and San Bernardo.

Cool nights and mild days slow the ripening of cherries here, allowing sugars to concentrate and complexity to build. It's exactly the kind of environment where Geisha can really sing.

The farm's name comes from an ancient Bolivian festival honouring Ekeko, the Aymara god of abundance. Every year on 24th January, people gather to buy miniature versions of the things they hope to receive – houses, cars, diplomas, even tiny coffee bags – believing these small tokens can grow into something real. It's a fitting name for a farm built on vision and possibility.

The Coco Natural Process: Innovation in the Cup

This is where things get particularly interesting. The lot was processed using what the Rodríguez family call the "Coco Natural" method – a name they coined themselves.

It starts with multiple passes through the farm during harvest, selecting only the ripest cherries – almost purple, according to the family. After picking, cherries are sorted by density using water, then disinfected in a high-capacity machine the team affectionately call 'La Maravilla' (Spanish for 'the wonder'). From there, they're laid out on patios to dry for 48 to 72 hours, kicking off fermentation and giving the cherries a head start.

Then comes the clever bit. The cherries are transferred into what the team call "stationary box" dryers – large steel containers originally designed for drying cocoa pods. Warm air flows gently up from beneath the coffee bed, keeping temperatures below 40°C, while the cherries are stirred manually at regular intervals. Over 40 to 50 hours, the fruit slowly dries down to a stable 11.5% humidity. As it does, it turns a deep reddish-brown – a bit like cocoa powder, which is where the "Coco" nickname comes from.

The result? A natural process that draws out loads of fruit character while keeping the cup remarkably clean and balanced. No funky fermentation notes drowning out the delicate florals that make Geisha special. Just pure, expressive coffee.

If you want to geek out further on the process, we've written a deeper dive on the Coco Natural method here.

In the Cup

We're roasting this one carefully – taking it through the gap and letting it develop a little before dropping, comfortably before second crack. Geisha's delicate jasmine florals and tea-like qualities are the first things to disappear if you push the roast too far. At the same time, all that time in the Coco dryers has already built plenty of body and fruit character. The coffee doesn't need us to add much; it just needs space to express what's already there.

The goal is balance: enough development to let the sweetness and body sing, but light enough to preserve the elegance and clarity that makes this Geisha special. Bright but not sharp. Sweet but not heavy. Floral but grounded.

Our team scored it at 90 points using Cup of Excellence methodology – if you want to understand why that's significant, we've written a piece explaining what cupping scores actually mean.

Why This Matters

Bolivia produces some of the most captivating specialty coffees we've ever tasted. Sweet, transparent, refined – the kind of coffees you can drink cup after cup. And a lot of that is down to the Rodríguez family, who decided Bolivian coffee was worth fighting for when most people were giving up on it entirely.

This Geisha from Las Alasitas represents everything they've worked towards: exceptional quality from a variety that demands excellence, processed with the kind of innovation and care that's become their hallmark, from a country that almost lost its coffee industry entirely.

We're offering it in 125g bags – a smaller measure that reflects both its rarity and quality, and a way to make these exceptional lots more accessible. Because coffees like this don't come along often.

Shop the Bolivia Las Alasitas Geisha Coco Natural