Filter & Espresso
Grape, white chocolate, nectarine
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Chiapas |
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1,456 – 1,600 meters above sea level. |
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Garnica & Bourbon |
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Washing |
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Luis Ordoñez |
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2022 Harvest |
Mexican coffee produced by Luis Ordoñez
This coffee is named after the person behind it and making it possible: Luis Ordoñez, a coffee grower based in Amatenango de la Frontera, in the state of Chiapas, Mexico. This region is very close to the border with Guatemala and the famous coffee-growing region of Huehuetenango, so they share many geological and climatic characteristics.
The climate, altitude—between 1,450 and 1,600 meters above sea level—and volcanic soil create ideal conditions for growing specialty coffees. Luis, who has over 25 years of experience growing coffee, has successfully utilized these elements to his advantage by planting the Garnica and Bourbon varieties to produce coffees of high quality and exquisite taste.
The coffee grower: Luis Ordoñez
Luis Ordoñez is a coffee farmer with experience, knowledge, and a passion for coffee. He has been dedicated to coffee cultivation for over 25 years, constantly seeking ways to improve every aspect. Luis pays great attention and care to the entire process, from cultivation to the beans' readiness for export, including the type of processing. This results in excellent batches of coffee.
Luis's farm covers nearly 26 hectares, a large area compared to other independent producers in Mexico. His initial intention was to expand to 40 hectares, but instead, he decided a long time ago to focus more on quality than quantity.
Luis's efforts have had a positive impact, as by focusing on quality, he produces excellent batches, which command a higher price. This translates into better living conditions and resources to invest in further improving the quality of his coffees.
Mutual aid among coffee growers
Luis hasn't just focused on improving the quality of his coffees; he's also helping other independent coffee growers in his area, both in Mexico and Guatemala, do the same.
He knows firsthand the exploitation coffee growers suffer from selling their coffee at low prices to large multinationals. For this reason, he is working to build a processing plant for both his coffee and that of other neighboring coffee growers.
A processing plant of this nature would help local coffee growers, advised by Luis, grow better coffee and break out of the commercial coffee industry. This means local coffee growers can enjoy higher and more stable incomes, as well as opportunities for growth and improvement.
Coffee and its process
Luis works with different coffee varieties, but the ones chosen for this batch were Garnica and Bourbon. Both are common varieties in Mexico due to their excellent results. This, combined with the favorable climate and rich volcanic soil, has resulted in this washed batch with notes of grapes, white chocolate, and nectarine.
Coffee processing is very important and is a decision made by coffee growers to get the best out of their harvest. In this case, the process chosen was a washing process.
In a washing process, cherries are picked at their peak ripeness and pulped almost immediately using a mechanical pulper and water. Once pulped, the cherries are left to dry, usually on raised beds, for a week to ten days depending on the weather.
Coffees that undergo a washed process, rather than a natural or honey process, are often described as very clean, with a clear and distinctive acidity. This is because they have a very short fermentation time, from the moment they are picked until they are pulped and dried. Therefore, there is no time for the sugars, present primarily in the pulp and mucilage, to pass into the bean.
Therefore, these coffees reflect more the characteristics of the terrain, the climate, the variety, and the know-how of the coffee growers than the process used to prepare them.
