Central American
Mexico Veracruz California
Mexico Veracruz California
The two main regions of Mexican coffee are Chiapas and Oaxaca. This one is from Veracruz where only a tiny fraction of the coffee production occurs. It's on the Northeast coast of the country against the Gulf of Mexico. It's certified Fair Trade and Organic from the California Estate.
It has a fairly consistent profile with what you expect from a typical Mexican coffee. Veracruz in particular is known for a buttery mouthfeel. It has a bit of juicy peach-like mouthfeel with butteriness, and a bit of toast flavor in a medium roast. It's bright, nutty, really wakes you up. There's some chocolate and some orange in there as well. Because the beans have been sorted very well, you'll find very few defects and above average bean size.
Mexican coffee is pretty easy to roast. It can handle a variety of roast levels and can also be blended with good result. We roasted this bean everywhere from very light to very dark, and found that the two middle roasts were our favorite, but all four roasts were drinkable. In particular, I would suggest roasting this one just right before or right at the beginning of 2nd cracks. It gives it the least bitterness and the most balance. If you're a big light roast fan, you'll enjoy it lighter but the acidity really pops -- don't go TOO light with it, but you can take it out about 30 seconds before second cracks to get a sharper, bright lime, caramel, hazelnut taste profile. Third best option is to take it 60 seconds into 2nd cracks and get the roasty, dark peanut notes of a french roast coffee.
US Arrival: April 2024