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Hello MRC members,

The final coffee of the year comes from an origin close to my heart: Mexico.

When I was eight, my family moved to Mexico City for two years. I didn’t drink coffee as a child (tragic, I know), but I did fall in love with spicy Mexican cuisine. That experience opened my palate to a whole new world of flavors and shaped my appreciation for food in a way I still carry today.

Most people still associate Mexican coffee with commodity grades or lower quality. But over the last 7–10 years, specialty coffee in Mexico has been quietly leveling up in the background — and it’s becoming one of the most exciting origins to watch.

We’ve been purchasing micro-lots from Mexico for the past five years, and every season I look forward to their profiles: milk chocolate, a round and easy-drinking body, citrus-balanced acidity, and an extra-long aftertaste.

I truly hope you enjoy this coffee over the holidays. It’s a small piece of my past, and a beautiful expression of what Mexican producers are creating toda

Here are the farm notes:

Country:Mexico

Micro-lot El Triunfo - Chichiquila

Region: Puebla

Process: Washed

Variety: Bourbon, Typica, Mundo Novo

Elevation: 1200-1800 MASL

Harvest: February - April

Taste Profile: Panela with mellow dried pineapple and fresh pineapple flavors. Tangy acidity and mild syrupy sweetness.

Farm Story:

Puebla is a small but diverse and volcanic region in Eastern Mexico. The cooler temperatures and impressive elevation create a microclimate suited to coffee production. Puebla hasn't received notoriety for its coffee historically, but in recent years, we've noticed stand-out microlots from the region. There are many small producers in Puebla that have yet to be recognized for their quality cultivation and harvesting of predominately heirloom varieties.

One of the things that have set Mexico's coffee apart is the abundance of both Fair Trade- and organic-certified coffees, especially in areas like Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Chiapas. The strong influence of indigenous groups and cultures has long been the driving force behind smallholders' embrace of organic practices, as they are often in line with traditional growing philosophies and utilize similar if not the same techniques. Fair Trade has also done considerable work with regard to encouraging smallholders to organize and operate within cooperatives, which allows them to pool resources, provides better access to credit and financing options, and creates more market presence and leverage in a competitive global economy. In addition, many of the coffees that we at Cafe Imports source from Mexico come from the buffer zones around one of the largest and most forest reserves in the world: El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve.

Hello MRC members,

The coffee is brewed, and the ski equipment is ready to come out of the garage. However, Mother Nature is waiting to bless us with that first big dump of snow. It is quite late now, but I know it will come with a bang. Similar to the coffee we have chosen for this final coffee drop of 2024. The minute we cupped this coffee, I knew it was perfect to enjoy over the holidays. It has everything I love in coffee. Smooth and round, stone fruits, and a great aftertaste. So I really hope you enjoy it!

Here are the farm notes:

Country: Guatemala

Farm: Samuel Escalante - Finca La Vega

Region:Cuilco, Huehuetenango

Variety: Bourbon,

Catimor, Caturra, Maragogype, Pache,

Altitude: 2000 masl

Processing: Washed

Tasting notes:

Panela and dark chocolate with mild dried apple and cooked red grape flavors. Mellow winey acidity and candy-like sweetness.