If we had to describe Mexico, we'd have multiple adjectives, taking a journey from gastronomy, sports, and social aspects to architecture and history. We couldn't leave out the kindness of its people, nor the cultural richness that has permeated the entire world; from the Day of the Dead, tequila, tacos, ranchera... and now coffee. It won't be the first product approved to describe this country due to the rigorous list of producers that precedes it, but it is due to its quality, texture, and production. What do you know about Mexican coffee? Next, we'll continue traveling through this exotic place, learning a little more about Mexican coffee culture.
Some data
According to some historians, coffee arrived in Mexico in the 18th century by French immigrants, after crossing through Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, crossing the Caribbean Sea and reaching the Gulf of Mexico by various routes, especially the port of Veracruz. It was noted for its coffee with a high level of acidity, intense aroma, spicy flavor and a defined body. From there it spread throughout the state and later to the center and south of the country. This made states such as Puebla (the coffee from the Sierra Norte region is considered one of the best in the country, of Arabica variety and mild flavor), Oaxaca (being one of the most popular thanks to its sweet and roasted flavor, with low acidity and medium body. In addition, the beans from this state usually combine aromas and notes of chocolate, roasted nuts, pumpkin and tangerine), Chiapas, Hidalgo, San Luis de Potosí and Guerrero become coffee-growing regions thanks to their climatic characteristics.
Mexico is the northernmost coffee-producing country in the Americas. Its crops are located at an average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius at approximately 515 meters above sea level, making it one of the world's reservoirs of high-quality coffee in the face of climate change and its threats. Water is another key asset to the high production of Mexican coffee, as it guards the country's main hydrological sources due to the length of the rivers that flow through the crops. As an analogy, they could all be added together, equivalent to almost twice the diameter of the Earth. Another very important fact is that 38 different indigenous cultures are found in coffee-growing territories. Therefore, we can say that coffee preserves a large part of our ancestral culture.
Qualities of Mexican coffee
Mexican coffee belongs to the Coffea genus, and its commercial importance lies in the Arabica and Cenephora varieties, better known as Robusta. It should be noted that Robusta coffee is produced to a lesser extent in this country, as the former can be found in more than 120 varieties distinguished by their quality, flavor, and body. Some of the most well-known varieties include:
Criollo, or Typica , is the best adapted to the region and one of the best varieties. It is shade-harvested and offers an exquisite flavor with pronounced acidity.
Bourbon , grown mainly in Chiapas and has a higher production because it is very adaptable to different types of altitude and is resistant to winds, something different in a coffee crop.
Pluma Hidalgo is a tropicalization of Typica, grown in the mountainous areas of Oaxaca, with an extraordinary spacious flavor and light body.
Oro Azteca , a 100% Mexican variety that was the result of the development of hybrids known as catimores in the search to counteract the effects of rust.
Caturra , likely originating from a mutation of Bourbon-type coffee plants, is high-quality and yields well under suitable agroecological conditions. Its quality is slightly lower than Criollo.
Chiapaneco , is distinguished by its freshness and balanced flavor, despite its high acidity, intense aroma and citrus notes, a result of the geographical conditions and humid climate of this region.
To conclude this short journey exploring Mexican coffee, we return to Julio Contreras Díaz with his verse: “In its skin, each cherry carries the song of flowers, of rain, a thousand flavors; and of the wind, the nobility, that miracle on the table, accompanies me very early, fills the cup in my hand, perfumes me with the breeze, which has matured, without haste, in the Mexican coffee.”