It's the long-awaited return of one of our favourite coffees of all time!!
With elevated notes of juicy cherry, bright raspberry, and the fruitiest chocolate confections, this coffee is like the most luxurious liquid truffle you've ever tasted. This was the first coffee purchased by our team member Will two seasons ago; we absolutely loved Maricela's coffee back then, and it sold out almost immediately. Our co-founder Micah even considers it one of his favourite coffees of all time. So why didn't we buy it last year, and why is it back this year?
Last year, a well-known roastery insisted on buying Maricela's entire crop. We were sad to miss out, but happy Maricela would be supported. This season, that big roastery changed buyers and dropped Maricela completely. Relationships between roasteries and producers are often tenuous, but it can be detrimental for producers. This is why we never insist on exclusivity with a producer or buy their whole crop – it's critical for their financial well being that they can diversify their customer base.
The silver lining of this misfortune is that we get to have Maricela's coffee again! She's a complete rock star, and we have no doubt she'll keep going from strength to strength. It won't be long before we drink it all ourselves, so be sure to grab yourself a bag or two if you'd like to try this epic lot.
Maricela was born into a coffee-producing family and has always worked in coffee. However, her grandfather held some antiquated views about running a farm – he believed it should only be run by a man, so he refused to leave the family business to her father Miguel and his daughters. Maricela had to work hard to get to the point where she could buy her own land and start a farm. Today she has 6 hectares, which is quite large in a region where most farms are only 1 hectare. Her high standards of farm management and processing have made Maricela a leading figure in her region of Sierra Flores de Magón in Oaxaca.
On her farm, Maricela grows Typica, Mundo Novo, and Caturra. Since 2017 she has been working with one of our favourite importing partners, Ensambles Cafes Mexicanos. With help from Ensambles she's developing better and better processing methods and growing an international reputation. Maricela dries her coffee on raised African beds slowly over about 40 days. Her drying beds are set up along the large flat roof of her home. Most producers in the region process their coffees as washed because there is a lot of rain and it's fairly cold, making it difficult to dry naturals quickly, but Maricela's life story is a testament to her determination and skill. She has achieved so much, including this special lot... one of the tastiest Mexican natural coffees we've ever had.
Elevation: 1200 Meters above Sea Level
Varietal: Bourbon, Typica
Cup Score: 89
Price paid per kilo: £18.50
Process: Fully natural, dried on raised African beds after anaerobic fermentation over 72 hours