Drinks Atlas: Mexican Coffee

Sitting squarely in the spotlight when it comes to spirits, Mexico is often an afterthought when it comes to coffee—overshadowed (and outsold) by its Central and South American neighbors. The establishment of a national coffee institute (INMECAFE) in the 1970s to support farmers both technically and financially led to an industry boom. But its dissolution less than 20 years later left producers scrambling. And a blight of coffee leaf rust further decimated the region. However, recent years have seen the steady recovery of Mexican coffee thanks to the efforts of community cooperatives and farmers themselves. “We’re seeing a lot of the producers being more involved in seeing the quality through to the end,” says Areli Barrera Grodski, co-owner of Little Waves Coffee Roasters in Durham, North Carolina.

Grown in the country since its introduction in the 1700s, coffee thrives in many of Mexico’s mountainous regions. The bulk is grown in the southern states of Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Puebla, where shade-grown arabica thrives on the slopes of the Sierra Madre mountain range, Popocatépetl volcano, and the forested buffer zones of the El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve. The vast majority of coffee is grown by indigenous, small-plot farmers organized within co-ops or community groups. Little Waves sources beans from groups such as Cafés Sustentables de México in Nayarit and Mayan Harvest, led by Rosalba Cifuentes in Chiapas. “It’s these smaller communities—they are taking charge of exporting and importing their own coffee,” says Grodski. “It’s all coming directly from the community, so the money is going back to them.”

Associated with chocolaty, nutty flavors, Mexican coffee is often favored in blends. But an interest among producers in new processes and overall quality is expanding the spectrum. “There are a lot of producing regions that are starting to experiment with honey processing, and that’s what excites me—seeing younger producers start to get involved. You still get that terroir from Mexico with the nuttiness and the chocolate notes, but you’re also getting some of these fruitier notes of cherry and raspberry,” says Grodski. “I see the price going up every year, which is great. Some of that is practical, but it’s also because the quality keeps going up, too.”

4 to Try

Picaresca, Finca La Reforma

From LA-based Picaresca, this coffee comes from producer Carlos Villar Gutierrez, who was so enamored with gesha coffee that he set out to grow his own on his farm in the mountains of Veracruz. Processed via the anaerobic honey method, the resulting coffee is fruity and delicate, with flavors of grape, jasmine, and oolong tea. $21/12 oz., barrapicaresca.com

Mother Tongue Coffee, Bella Vista Women’s Project

From Rosalba Cifuentes’ Mayan Harvest in Chiapas, the coffee from the Bella Vista Women’s Project supports a collective of more than 250 women farmers in the region. This washed coffee is roasted on the lighter end by Mother Tongue in Oakland, highlighting sweet flavors of red plum and lemonade. $22/10 oz., mothertongue.coffee

Little Waves Coffee Roasters, Danipaguache

Sourced from a producer-created group called ORCE Mazateca, this coffee from the mountains of northern Oaxaca is wash-processed and roasted medium by Little Waves for a smooth, rounded cup with flavors of chocolate, cashew, and ripe plum. $19.50/12 oz., littlewaves.coffee

Passenger Coffee, Hermenegildo Marin

Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s Passenger Coffee sources these beans from farmer Hermenegildo Marin’s 5-acre farm in the Cañada region of Oaxaca. The washed coffee presents bright flavors of orange and peach balanced with base notes of almond, graham cracker, and milk chocolate. $27.25/10 oz., passengercoffee.com