Coffee came first to this region in Bolivia, and most of Bolivia’s coffee—almost 95% of the country’s total production—still comes from here. There’s a reason for this: altitude. Stretching down the east side of the Andes Mountains from Peru on the north to Argentina on the southern end, it grows some of the highest altitude coffees in the world (high altitude translates into slower growing and ripening, hence more intensity of flavors). Coffees are usually named for areas within the region such as Caranavi, Inquisvi, or Coroico.
Those mountains also mean that coffee buyers must travel via the infamous Jungas Road to reach producers. The Jungas Road is also referred to as the “Road of Death.” Mostly unpaved, it winds up, up, up and down, down, down, often narrowing to a single lane. Zero guardrails between vehicles and 2000+ meter drops to the valley floor.