Mexico - Cafeología - Marcelino Pérez - Natural
Origin: Mexico
Region: Chiapas, Las Nubes ejido
Farmer: Marcelino Pérez
Elevation: 880 MASL
Varietal: Typica
Processing Method: Natural
Tasting Notes: Grape, Green Apple, Lime, Chocolate Syrup, Honey, Caramel
Marcelino Pérez, a 50-year-old coffee producer, is deeply rooted in his craft, shaped by years of experience and family ties. As one of three siblings, at the young age of 14, he learned the art of coffee production from his uncle, who is a landlord on the very land Marcelino now cultivates. Marcelino’s coffee plantation is nestled on the slopes of the Tacana volcano, within Las Nubes ejido (communally owned land), just north of the border between Mexico and Guatemala. The areas rich volcanic soils and abundant shade provide the ideal environment for growing high-quality coffee at a lower elevation. However, the area’s extreme humidity and challenging access make it difficult to process the coffee on-site. As a result, Marcelino transports his harvest to his home in the urban area of Cacahoatan (477 MASL), where he carefully processes the coffee.
Cafeología is a Chiapas based group focused on education and development, partnering with a select group of producers in the region. Through the partnership with Marcelino they manage new projects and innovative practices on the farm, bringing out the best in Marcelino's coffee. The resulting quality was apparent on the cupping table and so we are excited to bring this new coffee from Mexico, to share with you.
Natural processed coffee uses the least amount of water and energy to accomplish the same goal of extracting the coffee seed (bean) from the coffee cherry and preparing it for the roaster. Once harvested, the coffee cherries are spread out to dry without removing any of the coffee skin or fruit mucilage. The cherries can be dried in any number of ways, sun or shade, concrete pads or raised beds, mounded or flat, anywhere from 7 days to over a month. Once the cherry is dried it is sent through a dry mill (often a regional facility) that removes the skin, (dry) fruit matter, and parchment layer at the same time.
This farm is an excellent example of the regional limitations of the natural process. Any farm with high humidity and lower temperatures will struggle to dry the entire cherry efficiently, so this coffee is transported to a lower elevation where the Marcelino does the processing. It begins with 48 hours of fermentation in plastic containers before being dried on raised beds in direct sunlight for thirty days. We find lots of sweet notes from chocolate syrup and caramel, to the much more floral honey, all balancing the lime zest and green apple freshness.