Mexican Coffee Brands and Pour-Over Brewing Guide: Oaxaca Coffee

Mexican Coffee Growing Regions

Mexican coffee is classified by altitude, and most of the country's coffee goes into blended coffee and/or dark coffee. Mexico has been growing coffee since the late 18th century, and most of its coffee now comes from the southern region, where the continent narrows and curves eastward.

Chiapas Coffee

Chiapas coffee is grown in the southern state of Chiapas and is known for its light, delicate flavor and rich, bright acidity with a light to medium body. The hot tropical climate provides good growing conditions and produces fairly consistent content.

Notably, Chiapas coffee is grown in the southeastern corner of the mountainous region near the Guatemalan border, often marked with the town name Tapachula, after a nearby town. Nearby volcanoes provide fertile soil, improving the nutritional supply for the coffee and helping develop its flavors. It is said that fine Chiapas coffee can rival the complexity and power of better Guatemalan coffees.

Veracruz Coffee

On the Gulf side of Mexico's central mountain range is the state of Veracruz, where most coffee grows in the lowlands and is unremarkable.

However, the nearby mountainous area produces the respected Altura Coatepec, named after the town of Coatepec and known for its nutty flavor, light body and brightness with chocolate tones.

Oaxaca Coffee

Coffee from the southern slopes of the central mountain range in the southern state of Oaxaca, called Oaxaca Pluma coffee, is known for its light body and delicate acidity.

Puebla Coffee

Puebla is one of Mexico's larger states, located east of Mexico City.

Mexican Coffee Plant Varieties

The coffee varieties grown in Mexico are mostly Bourbon (Coffea arabica var. bourbon), Caturra (Coffea arabica var. caturra), Maragogype (Coffea arabica var. maragogype) and Mundo Novo (Coffea arabica var. mundo novo).

Mexican Coffee Brands

Mexico is a member of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which makes Mexican coffee brands quite established in the United States and Canada.

SIMPATICO Coffee

Simpatico Coffee (headquartered in Michigan) specializes in Mexican coffee, whose low-acidity qualities are welcomed by those who don't like acidity. Although most low-altitude Mexican coffees have less acidity than their high-altitude siblings, the fact that this coffee is roasted means it also has less acidity than medium roasts.

It is known for its light body and acidity, typically with nutty and chocolate notes.

The excellent conditions of rich ecology, combined with high altitude and suitable temperatures, create the unique flavor of Mexican coffee. Under a medium-dark roast, the beans gradually reveal apricot and peach fruit aroma on entry, with elegant honey gently decorating the later stages. Take a sip, and the balanced floral notes leave a long-lasting aftertaste.

Roast Levels and Flavor Profiles

Light Roast City (Fragrant):

Ample fruit aroma with a wild character; the acidity is not obvious and appears several seconds after drinking; the oily mouthfeel is relatively thin, and the aftertaste slowly appears at the back of the tongue. It has the aroma and taste of Pengfeng tea.

Medium Roast (General B):

Fruity aroma after fermentation, with weak fruit acidity, a smooth and rounded mouthfeel, and a ripe tea flavor.

Dark Roast (General C):

A red-vegetable aroma, no acidity present, a clean mouthfeel without excess impurities, and the sweetness of grass jelly and wheat.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Pour-Over Brewing Parameters:

V60 / 90°C / 1:15 / Time: two minutes

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Mexican coffee is easy-drinking and low in acidity, and if that balanced style suits you, the V60 is an excellent way to brew it. Among FrontStreet Coffee's lineup, the fruit-forward, floral coffees really reward this dripper: FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Gotiti, Hualu, Strawberry Candy and Mozart all show more three-dimensional aroma and lively acidity through the V60's fast extraction, bringing out florals, fruit acidity, clean sweetness and tea notes.

Great coffee does not have to be expensive, either. FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Gotiti—known in Chinese as Guodingding—comes from the Worka area at the southeastern edge of Yirgacheffe and, thanks to careful washing, shows jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity, with green tea and honey notes after a medium-light roast. For a richer, fruitier cup, FrontStreet Coffee's Hualu carries intense strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit and lychee aromas, with very low bitterness and a smooth, juicy body.

If you prefer a heavier, low-acid cup, the same dripper also suits FrontStreet Coffee's deeper-roasted coffees. FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling is a medium-dark roast with low acidity and a full, lingering body, full of herbal and dark chocolate aroma with a faint earthy note; FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1, meanwhile, brings cream, caramel, chocolate and nutty notes into perfect balance. Both were staples of the specialty scene long before the third wave, and they still suit anyone who loves a mellow, substantial cup.