Mexico SHG Chiapas Mayan Harvest – Café de Mujeres RNY #44054 – Espresso

This coffee comes to us from the municipality of Bella Vista in the state of Chiapas. It is comprised of Bourbon, Catimor and Caturra varieties. It is a fully washed coffee and is grown at 1550 to 1650 masl.

The Chiapas region is renown for supplying some of the highest quality coffee out of the 12 states in Mexico that produce coffee. They have had their challenges though the years with ‘roja’ or leaf rust damaging many of the trees in this region less than a decade ago. Thankfully, a pairing of rich, nutrient heavy conditions coupled with some support from non-profits, the regions farmers were able to bring production back to normal relatively quickly. Currently, Chiapas supplies 40% of Mexico’s total coffee yield.

Cafe de Mujeres specifically, or ‘coffee of women’ is sourced from Mayan Harvest. This small export company was founded by Rosalba Cifuentes Tovia, who was raised in the Bella Vista coffee community and has dedicated herself to helping producers with small plots of land (averaging 5 acres) earn a better price for their coffee. This is the first year that the Mayan Harvest Women’s Group has exported coffee. They have a clear system of traceability and improved premiums returned directly to the women, recognizing their work and giving them financial empowerment.

In a coffee from Chiapas, we expect a crowd pleaser coffee with a pleasant body, mild or muted acidity with notes of chocolate, nuts and light citrus. So, when approaching this coffee we chose to aim for soft application of heat, medium charge temperature and a medium length of roast with a slightly higher ending temperature to bring out a bit more of the body and chocolaty/nutty notes.

Roast 1: We used a medium charge temperature with 20.1% development, a shorter roast time with a medium high ending temperature. On the cupping table this roast comprised of honey, graham cracker, apricot and malt and had flavors of cherry, chocolate and lemon rind with a slight ‘greenness’ to it, paired with a mild acidity and a slightly watery body. This was not our pick. It had signs of not having spent enough time in the drying phase when roasting it.

Roast 2: We used a medium charge temperature with 20.2% development, a medium to long overall roast time with a medium high ending temperature. With this roast we experienced brown sugar, chocolate, and apricot on the nose. The cup was sweeter, with notes of lemon, orange and cocoa with an almond finish. The body was slightly fuller and the acidity was a little more muted. This roast would work well in a pour-over or similar method, where it’s complexity could be highlighted

Roast 3: For our final roast we used a medium charge temperature with 20.6% development, a medium to long overall roast time with a medium high ending temperature. On the cupping table we experienced aromas of dark brown sugar, dried cherry and dark chocolate on the nose with flavors of cacao, slight orange and marzipan, paired with soft citrus acidity and a slightly rounder body than the other 2 roasts. We decided this roast was a great choice for espresso, especially being that it had a slightly fuller body and balanced acidity.

When dialing in this coffee as espresso, we decided to go with a slightly wider ratio to embrace it’s pleasant mildness. We started out with a 1:2.5 ratio in 28 seconds. The espresso tasted slightly bitter with notes of almond and orange. It also was slightly drying and thin which implied that it was-over extracted and needed a coarser grind and potentially a slightly tighter ratio (}to highlight the round body.) A few adjustments later we ended up with a delicious and well balanced shot, which tasted wonderful on it’s own, but would also pair quite well with milk!

Final Recipe:

–1:2 ratio (20g of coffee yielding a 41g double shot of espresso)

–28 second extraction

–Flavor Profile: Red fruit, almonds, milk chocolate with hints of cinnamon and orange, a round and full body with plenty of sweetness.

This coffee is available for purchase here.