Ixhuatlan
$24
Impressions: orange, hazelnut, pear, milk chocolate
Roast degree: 2.5/5
Country: Mexico
Region/village: Matlaquiahuitl, Ixhualtlán del café (Veracruz)
Varieties: mixed, field blend
Process: washed
Farmers: 10 farmers from the Alere & Abuntia Coop.
(Fidel Flores Galan, Alfonso Vazquez Gomez, Pablo Chama Ramos, Jose Fco. Agripino
Chama Chavez, Victorino Chama, Martiniano Ramos Flores, Hector Chama Huerta, Timoteo
Vazquez Martinez, Maria Gregoria Chama Chavez and Lucia Vazquez Reyes.
Import partner: Semilla
Ixhuatlan Community
It's important to support the people supporting farmers. When we learned that Semilla was starting to explore coffee buying options in Mexico and that they had a small quantity available this year, we immediately booked a couple of bags (even if our menu was kind of maxed out, but is there a thing as too many coffees? ;-) )
This lot from the Ixhuatlan Community is the amalgamation of 10 smallholder farmers' lot owning less than 10 hectares of land, all between 800 and 1200 masl in Veracruz. Those farmers belong to a coffee producer cooperative called Cooperativa Alere & Abuntia.
In this region, most farmers sell cherries to big buyers, leaving money on the table in an unequal exchange. Nespresso is a huge influence there, purposefully keeping farmers into poverty. Having Semilla do some work there against giants of the industry, champion of exploitation, is meaningful.
The cooperative was established as a startup derived from the Value Chain Program (CADECAF), led by Cafecol. CADECAF was a pioneer in Mexico training producers in specialty coffee processing and commercialization.
In 2019, the cooperative Alere & Abuntia was formally established, launching the "Café Cooperativo MX" program. This initiative focuses on quality, traceability, and transparency, something we had to support.
This coffee, our first from Semilla in Mexico, is clean, sweet and balanced.
The orange-like acidity and hazelnut vibes will make you chug it effortlessly.
Want ever more goodness? We got you, because we also think this tastes like pear and milk chocolate. Add some vanilla ice cream, affogato style, and it'll taste like a Poire Belle Hélène, a classic Belgian dessert.
This coffee will shine as both an espresso and filter brew, and can be paired with milk without losing its essence.
| Method | Dose | Ratio | Time |
| Espresso | 16-20 g | 2:1 | 26-30 sec |
| Espresso with milk | 16-20 g | 1.9:1 | 32-34 sec |
| Americano | 16-20 g | 2.3:1 | 26-30 sec |
|
V60/Origami |
18-32 g | 15.5:1 | 3:15-3:45 min |
|
Chemex & Batch Brew |
40-60 g | 15.5:1 | 4:30-5:45 min |
|
French Press |
18-25 g | 14.5:1 | 3:45 min steep time |
Farmers: 10 farmers from the Alere & Abuntia Coop
Importer: Semilla
Price we paid for the landed coffee: 19CAD/kg
Fob: 15.35CAD/kg
Farmgate price: 118MXN/kg (local average between 50-65). Semilla paid ~ double the market price for this coffee.