What is the Flavor Profile of Mexico's Oaxaca Co-op EP Washed Caturra SHB?

Mexico | Oaxaca Sico Cooperative | European Standard Washed Caturra SHB Flavor Profile

Mexico is one of the largest producers of certified organic coffee, and because of geography most of it is sold to the United States. The country's coffee industry began in the 19th century, introduced through Jamaica, with Arabica as the main crop, and the growing areas sit near the Pacific coast bordering Guatemala's Soconusco region.

Mexico ranks third in Latin American coffee production, after Brazil and Colombia, and its output rose significantly after World War II. Besides oil, coffee is the region's second-largest export commodity and has a major effect on Mexico's national economy. The windward side of the Nayarit coast catches the northeast monsoon, giving abundant rainfall, fertile volcanic soil and plentiful water.

In the early 1990s the southern state of Chiapas became Mexico's most important coffee region, with an annual output of about 275,000 tons, or 45% of national production. More than two million Mexicans rely on coffee for their livelihood, and 75% of Mexican coffee farmers work land smaller than two hectares. These smallholders produce roughly 30% of the country's output each year, while the rest comes from larger or more productive farms.

Coffee Details

Region: Oaxaca

Producer: Sico Cooperative

Processing Method: Traditional Washed Processing

Grade: European Standard Washed Strictly Hard Bean (SHB)

Variety: Caturra

Altitude: 1200 to 1800 meters

Flavor Description

Nuts, low acidity, creamy spice, cool herbal notes, a smooth and mild mouthfeel. Mexico is one of the largest producers of certified organic coffee, and because of geography most of it is sold to the United States.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Rukus grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g of coffee. First pour 25g of water for a 25s bloom. Second pour to 120g, then pause and wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before continuing. Slowly pour until reaching 225g total water. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the appeal of this Oaxaca lot is its low acidity and smooth, nutty, creamy character, FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon delivers the same kind of comfort. Cerrado is a well-known Brazilian region prized for high-quality beans, and this lot is a Red Bourbon, common in South America; medium roasted, it shows a rich aroma of creamy peanut, toasted bread, caramel and hazelnut, with a rounded body, no noticeable acidity and a light bittersweet edge. It is described as a classic Brazilian single origin, and it works across pour-over, moka pot, espresso SOE, siphon and French press.

For a sweeter take, FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate comes from Mogiana near South Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil lets the cherries take up plenty of nutrients and develop a full aroma. The local farms are split between those keeping traditional practice and those adopting modern, standardized management, which has lifted quality considerably. The variety here is the rarer Yellow Bourbon, a mutation of Red Bourbon with a cleaner fruit character; whether brewed as pour-over, moka pot or on a home espresso machine, it shows a sugarcane sweetness that other regions do not offer, alongside fruit and chocolate notes.