What Flavors Does Coffee Have? Introduction to Mexico's Veracruz Coffee Region

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, follow Coffee Workshop on WeChat (public account: cafe_style).

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Mexican Veracruz

Mexico's relationship with coffee began after 1790. Unlike other producing countries that rely on large-scale plantations, Mexico has always kept to a tradition of smallholder farming. The agricultural reforms that followed the Mexican Revolution of 1910 further protected the rights of small farmers. By 1973, the founding of the Mexican National Coffee Institute (INMECAFE) gave these growers technical assistance, credit, guaranteed purchase and even access to international markets, and production gradually rose.

Mexican Coffee Regions

Today Mexico has nearly 100,000 small farmers producing 4,000 bags of coffee a year, making it the world's ninth-largest coffee-producing country. Its organic coffee output ranks first worldwide. Mexican coffee may look uncommon on the shelf, but the country's production actually ranks fourth globally, and coffee beans are a very important cash crop at home.

The beans in this lot come from Chiapas, in southern Mexico, on the border with Guatemala — a mild climate and fertile soil. Veracruz is also Mexico's leading coffee region, accounting for 45% of national bean production. Most Mexican coffee is washed, and this batch is the estate's first natural-process lot customized for the global market. The flavor is excellent.

In the second half of the eighteenth century, Spanish settlers transplanted coffee from Cuba and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean to Mexico. It was Germans and Italians who arrived by way of Guatemala and Central and South America, however, who truly established coffee cultivation in the country, and it was they who founded the first coffee estate in Veracruz.

Coffee from Veracruz is known for an intense, distinctive aroma that hints at over-fermented fruit. The peaberries from Chiapas, Mexico's southernmost region, offer a mild, delicate texture and a very distinctive aroma.

Light Roast City (Fragrant)

The fruit aroma is abundant and a little wild. Acidity is not immediate but emerges several seconds after you swallow. The oily body is relatively thin, and the aftertaste slowly appears at the back of the tongue. There is an aroma and flavor reminiscent of oolong tea.

Medium Roast (General B)

Fermented fruit fragrance, weak fruit acidity, a smooth and rounded texture, and the taste of mature tea.

FrontStreet Coffee's Philosophy

In short, FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research house dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. Our unconditional sharing is meant to help more friends fall in love with coffee. We also hold three low-discount coffee events every month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more people to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible price. That has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Mexican coffee is mild and gentle by nature, which makes it an easy match for milk, so this is a good place to talk about FrontStreet Coffee's espresso blends. For a first choice, FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend is built specifically for espresso machines and moka pots, and its standout strength is crema — even a beginner can pull a dense, fine crema on a non-professional home machine. Using the traditional Mamba blend recipe, it is mellow and smooth, and it sits at the heart of the lattes, cappuccinos and Dirty coffees we drink every day, at home or in a cafe.

If flavor and price both matter, FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa Blend is the value option: 100% Arabica, generous crema and a full body at a friendly price, which keeps costs in check for a new shop. For something with a fruitier character, FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy is a popular fruity espresso blend that layers the natural flavors of Arabica beans from different origins into a distinct strawberry gummy sweetness — a good fit for anyone who loves fruity coffee but dislikes bitterness, and for cafes that want a signature milk drink.