Single Origin: Mexico, Chiapas

TASTE NOTES Graham cracker, sweet corn, molasses
PROCESS
Natural
ELEVATION
1550 - 1700 masl
REGION
Union Juarez, Chiapas
VARIETALS
Caturra, Mondo Novo, Catuai
ROAST LEVEL
2/6

 

ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Coffee was introduced to Mexico during the 19th century from Jamaica. Since then, the country has become the fifth largest producer in the world. Coffee is grown mainly in the southern states of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Chiapas. These Muxbal beans come from an estate in Chiapas, Mexico’s largest coffee producing state. In the local Mame dialect Muxbal means "place surrounded by clouds". The farm stands proudly on the slopes of the active Tacana volcano on the border with Guatemala.

The farm is managed by mother and son team Maeggi Rodriguez and Jorge Gallardo. It was purchased in 1959 by Maeggi’s father, Don Enrique, a man who was very much a pioneer of his time. He introduced three key principles that remain as important today as they were then: social responsibility, environmental sustainability and the production of very high quality coffee.

The evidence of these three principles can be seen around the farm and tasted in the cup. The quality is evident in the coffee we get to drink. The key varietals include catuai, caturra and mundo novo. Recently, pacamara has been introduced – an experiment of Jorge’s that we hope will provide some interesting micro-lots in the future.

The coffee is grown at an altitude of 1,600 meters above sea level on rich and fertile volcanic soils. Maeggi and Jorge take meticulous care and attention to all aspects of harvesting, processing, and producing an exceptional and complex coffee. Mexico is not known for it's speciality coffee, but Muxbal is an exception for the region.

The farm is Rainforest Alliance Certified.  There is housing for permanent and temporary staff, a high quality canteen and a well-equipped school for the children of the coffee pickers. Great emphasis is placed on all of the social needs of the people who work the land at Muxbal.

Much of the farm has been given over to a breathtakingly beautiful nature reserve – a gorge where icy mountain waters flow through a jungle that teems with life.  To allow access to the farm, which stands on a plateau above the gorge, a feat of engineering has been achieved in the form of a road that has been carved into the cliff-face. The 4x4 climb up this winding track is absolutely not for the fainthearted, but the brave are rewarded with a visit to one of Mexico’s best coffee farms.