The Coffees of Mexico

Central America: Mexico

Shade cover for Oaxacan coffee

Hurricane Damage from Mitch in Chiapas, 2 years later!

Mexican coffee originates from South-central to Southern regions of the country. For that reason, coffees from Coatepec and Veracruz are much different from Oaxacan Plumas, which are in turn much different from the Southernmost region of Chiapas. The later is a growing region bordering the Guatemalan growing area of Huehuetenango, and you will find similarities between those coffees. In general you can expect a light-bodied coffee, mild but with delicate flavors ...But there are exceptions of course. Mexican is one of the largest producers of certified organic coffees, and because of the US close proximity, we receive the bulk of fine Mexican coffees in this market. Mexican coffees are worth exploring for the variety of cup characteristics they present, and their great price!

Mexicans are moderately priced, lighter bodied, and wide-ranging in their cup character. For this reason, you need to explore coffee selections from each of the regions to get a good sense of the possibilities of Mexican coffee. Unfortunately, I rarely approve of the cup quality of coffees from Coatepec and Atoyac, and have never carried a Veracruz. Most of the impressive coffees I find are from Oaxaca and Chiapas.

It may seen to fly in the face of espresso-blending laws, but try an espresso made with 100% Oaxaca Pluma coffee, such as the Tres Flechas, Loxicha, Tres Oros ...it is excellent roasted just a bit into 2nd crack.

I was in Chiapas recently for a brief trip, looking into next year's project to identify, separate and evaluate the coffees of small producer-groups. Here's some comments and images from this short trip.

Current Crop Comments:

Late in the season, we have had some nice Nayarit lots, including a very unusual dry-processed ("natural") coffee with Ethiopia and Brazil-like character. 2007 might be characterized an "up" year for Oaxaca coffees, judging from the samples I have cupped in general, and specifically the 2 lots we are bringing in. The FTO lots have cupped oustanding; great nutty tonality in the lighter roasts and rich, bittersweet chocolate at Full City roast levels. In general, it has become harder, not easier, for me to find great Mexican coffees from Oaxaca and Chiapas. While other origins have improved their visibility, and their skills to produce specialty coffee, Mexico remains quiet on the subject, having to promotional competition or related auction. Mexico has relied more on the Organic and Fair Trade model to attain better prices, rather than looking for a reward in quality. That can work fine, and I support both efforts (as you see on our offer list). But they leave behind those dependent on private farms ... and that part of the market has (I believe) become more volume-oriented. In 2007 we are cupping and isolating small-producer groups in the Chiapas region to find areas that might have special cup character. Look for the results of those projects soon. -Tom

coffee token - guatimoc mexico 1911
Coffee token with coffee tree design - Guatimoc, Mexico 1911

Small producer in Chiapas

Cooperative farmers, Oaxaca

Our Mexican Coffee Offerings: Please refer to our Reference Page for definitions of terms and cupping numbers used below.

Mexico FTO Chiapas - La Union Coop

Country:

Mexico

Grade:

Alturra

Region:

Chiapas

Mark:

La Union Otillio Montano Coop

Processing:

Wet Processed

Crop:

June 2008 Arrival

Appearance:

.2 d/300gr, 16-18 Screen

Varietal:

Mostly Typica

Dry Fragrance (1-5)

3.5

Notes: We have bought from this cooperative for 10 years now, including "Rebuild Chiapas" lots in the past where we paid a premium to help with hurricane recovery projects around Motozintla, where the headquarters for the coop are. Last year, I visited to try to seek out particular communities of farmers that might have coffee with unique cup character, despite the fact the co-op operates by pooling coffees into bulk lots from a wide range of farmer-groups. They agreed to produce some micro-regional lots, but frankly the results were just average. It proved to me that I can't take a cookie-cutter approach in dealing with producers, constantly preaching the benefits of separating micro-lots in search of cup quality, with a 2x or 3x premium for resulting coffees. It just may not work everywhere in terms of better cup quality or in the co-ops economic self-interest. So I went back to cupping all their pooled lots and I definitely feel the quality of the larger mixed lots is better than any micro-lot samples! I came up with this great coffee which has Fair Trade and Organic cert.s to boot. I like FTO from Mexico in particular - I think it's one of the origins where it matters most, whereas our base prices paid to farms in other areas far exceeds FT pricing, especially in our Farm Gate, direct trade lots. Immediately this lot jumped out at me for the fruited not in the dry fragrance, suggesting banana, married to nice cocoa with nuts. Not a bad start. I find a lot of sweetness in the wet aroma, syrupy, with praline character. The cup is mild, as Chiapas is bound to be, with fairly light body. But this year (a small crop in general) has really nice, brisk acidity with a lemony aspect. It has this same, sweetness as the aromatics, mildly rustic, like raw brown sugar. In fact, this reminds me of the traditional Mexican cone-shaped sugar cakes, Panela, in the aftertaste. There's a caramel apple quality in the cup, which has moderate brightness and is fairly short in the aftertaste. It's a simple cup perhaps, but what a nice antidote to over-the-top Yemens and Kenyas and such! It's drinkin' coffee.

Wet Aroma (1-5)

3.5

Brightness - Acidity (1-10)

8.7

Flavor - Depth (1-10)

8.6

Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)

3.2

Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)

8.5

Cupper's Correction (1-5)

0.5

Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Sweetness, light body,

add 50

Roast: Takes a wide range of roasts from City+ to Full City to Full City+.

Score (Max. 100)

86.5

Compare to: A sweet and simple cup with interesting nut, chocolate and fruit aspects

Mexico Organic Nayarit Dry-Process

Country:

Mexico

Grade:

Alturra

Region:

Nayarit

Mark:

Terruno Dry-Process

Processing:

Dry Processed

Crop:

July 2008 Arrival

Appearance:

.6 d/300gr, 17 Screen

Varietal:

Typica

Dry Fragrance (1-5)

3.6

Notes: This lot is quite unusual, not because of the region it is from or the fact it arrives later in the season than other Mexican lots. It's unusual because it is a full natural, dry-process coffee from Mexico. Actually, dry-process Mexico coffees can be found in many small markets across Mexico, since it is the cheapest way to process coffee. And those can be some of the nastiest Mexican coffees you have ever tasted, full of defect black beans, rotted fruit fermented flavors, phenolic fungus taste. Ironically, dry-process coffee, done right, is much more difficult and more costly that a more technified wet-process lot. To do it right, you need to pick ripe red coffee cherry, quickly and carefully dry it in the husk, remove that peel, and then hand-sort defective beans, requiring many hours of labor. Wet-process removes defects with machines ... under-ripe cherries float, other defects are removed on the gravity separator and screening machines. To make a really good dry-process it is all done manually, by highly experienced people. Anyway, the coffee is from the same location as the Terruno Wet-Process from earlier in the season. It is from the state of Nayarit, more specifically, west of the capital, Tepic. The 260 small-holder farms in this group are clustered around Cerro San Juan, an extinct volcano, so the soil type and altitude contribute to the cup quality. Nayarit is fairly low (the city of Tepic is 3000 feet) but the volcano immediately rises to 7000 feet, providing sloped terrain with good altitude, drainage and climate for the coffee. The aromatics of this coffee are much closer to a dry-processed Ethiopia than to any other Central America coffee; intense, rustic fruited notes, spice, and caramel sweetness. It's winey in the extreme, almost headed in the direction of oxidized wine (ie. getting vinegary!) ... but thankfully it's not. There's a hint of sourdough yeast in the dry fragrance. The cup, especially at the darker roast levels I prefer here, has a heavy chocolate character with traces of almond and (of course) a strongly fruited backdrop. Lighter roasts have an apricot brandy flavor. At both levels, the body is dense and opaque, the aftertaste extremely long. Unlike other natural coffees, I think this coffee is limited in it's espresso use, except as a component in a blend less than 20%.

Wet Aroma (1-5)

3.8

Brightness - Acidity (1-10)

8.3

Flavor - Depth (1-10)

8.5

Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)

Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)

8.5

Cupper's Correction (1-5)

Intensity/Prime Attribute: Bold intensity / Heavy body, chocolate, and almond

add 50

Roast: Full City to Full City+ to Vienna.

Score (Max. 100)

87.7

Compare to: Ethiopia dry-process Sidamo coffees in terms of fruited character and body, Brazil dry-process in terms of body and chocolate.

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