Mexican Coffee Growing Region Huatusco: History, Varieties, Flavor Profile and Characteristics

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Mexican Coffee Overview

Mexico is a major coffee-producing country in Central America, offering coffee with comfortable taste and charming aroma. Premium Mexican coffees include Coatepec, Huatusco, and Orizaba, with Coatepec being considered one of the world's finest coffees. Mexico's coffee cultivation regions share similar geographical and climatic conditions with Guatemala to the south, thus classified within the "Central America" category. Major production areas are distributed across states such as Veracruz and Oaxaca. Particularly, washed Arabica beans from highland regions feature exceptional aroma and acidity. Coffee beans are primarily graded by altitude, with larger beans that offer balanced sweetness and acidity, rich flavor, and are suitable for medium to dark roasting. Most harvested beans are exported to European and American markets.

Characteristics: Well-balanced acidity, aromatic and smooth, rich body, vibrant sweetness and acidity, intense flavor, with distinctive fruity notes.

Brief History of Mexican Coffee Development

Coffee was first introduced to Mexico in the late 18th century, when in 1790, a Spaniard brought coffee plants from the West Indies for trial cultivation in southern Mexico. Subsequently, coffee cultivation began in the early 19th century in Veracruz state and gradually expanded. Coffee production then spread to the southern states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. Today, Mexico has 12 states producing coffee. During the 1996-1997 harvest season, Mexico produced 6,652,173 hundredweight, equivalent to 5,100,000 bags (60 kg per bag) of coffee beans, making it the world's fourth-largest coffee-producing country at that time.

Mexican Coffee Grading

Estricta Altura (Spanish) / Strictly High Mountain Grown (English): Grown at altitudes above 4,200 feet

Altura / High Mountain Grown: Grown at altitudes above 3,300 feet

Prima Lavado / Prime Washed: Grown at altitudes above 2,700 feet

Coffee Producing Regions

Mexico currently has 12 states producing coffee: (1) Chiapas (2) Oaxaca (3) Veracruz (4) Puebla (5) Guerrero (6) Hidalgo (7) San Luis Potosí (8) Nayarit (9) Jalisco (10) Colima (11) Tabasco (12) Querétaro

Key Producing Regions

Among these, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas are particularly noteworthy:

Veracruz State

The earliest coffee-producing region, growing mostly low-altitude commercial grade beans. High-quality coffees from Veracruz state include beans from highland areas such as Orizaba, Huatusco, and Coatepec.

Oaxaca State

Produces some high-quality coffees, with the Pluma region being the finest. The Pluma region is located on the slopes of the Pacific coast, where coffee was introduced in the 1860s.

Chiapas State

Located in Mexico's southernmost region, bordering Guatemala. In the Soconusco administrative region of Chiapas state, the Sierra Madre mountains facing the Pacific at elevations between 2,000 to 4,000 feet cultivate premium mild coffee. Beans from this region are consolidated in Tapachula, the capital of Soconusco. Tapachula is situated at 600 feet elevation, with the small Pacific port of San Benito located 24 miles away. The beans from this region are exported through this port.

Chiapas State Geographic and Climate Information

Area: 73,724 square kilometers

Climate: Mostly tropical, humid and semi-humid. Rainfall is highest during the hottest months.

Geography: Mountains in Chiapas state are mostly volcanic, with the Chichonal volcano in northern Chiapas having erupted as recently as 1982. The state also has abundant water resources, with two of Mexico's largest rivers, the Grijalva and Usumacinta, flowing from Guatemala through Chiapas. Therefore, during the summer rainy season, substantial rainfall flows through these rivers and lakes into lowland areas.

Coffee Growing Areas

(90% in highland regions, 10% in lowland regions)

Highland regions: Motozintla, Tapachula, Jaltenango, Bochil, San Cristóbal de las Casas, Pichucalco, Yajalón

Lowland regions: Copainalá, Comitán, Ocozocoautla, Palenque, Ocosingo

Coffee Cultivation

1. Primarily Arabica species.
2. Arabica varieties cultivated in highland regions include: Typica, Maragogype, Bourbon, Mundo Novo
3. Lowland varieties include: Caturra, Catuai, Catimor.
4. Coffee cultivation in Chiapas is classified by altitude: Prime Washed, Extra Prime Washed, High Grown, Strictly High Grown. Coffee is grown at various altitude levels.

Coffee Processing

Due to sufficient water resources, harvested coffee cherries are processed using the washed method, then sun-dried in farmers' courtyards. Some high-altitude growing areas still use indigenous human labor or animal transport to deliver beans to processing plants or cooperative unions for hulling and grading. In river basin areas, beans are transported by boat to dry mills for final processing.

Rise of Organic Cultivation

Since Chiapas is Mexico's poorest state, coupled with years of tense confrontation between government forces and guerrilla groups, the indigenous population faces extreme hardship. Traditional coffee production methods (using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) cause significant environmental damage, yet the income is barely sufficient for survival. Fortunately, Fairtrade organizations and various organic coffee environmental agencies have strongly supported these indigenous production cooperatives, enhancing their concepts and techniques, enabling Chiapas's premium organic beans to be preserved and cultivated even better!

In terms of flavor profile, highland organic beans from Chiapas exhibit noticeable sweetness, full body, and relatively low acidity, making them quite suitable for Chinese palate preferences. This differs significantly from famous Central American growing regions such as Guatemala Antigua and Costa Rica Tarrazú, where the beans display much more prominent fruity acidity.

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