Quetzal Mountain Water DECAF

Our first Mexican beauty from the Sierra Sur region where we visited back in March this year is from Carlos Hernandez and a naturally processed Pluma Hidalgo variety. Naturals (dried in the skin) are risky in Mexico because of the humidity, but when they're good, they're very good. Carlos is a member of Union San Pedro located in Barrio San Antonio in San Pedro El Alto. 2025 was his first year producing naturals alongside his regular washed coffees (that contribute to the Union San Pedro Blend). The first year was certainly a trial or proof of concept phase and as the coffees cupped very well Carlos began to expand his naturals and also experimenting with honeys this year. For this natural process, cherry is rested for three nights in the skin and then dried on patios, Petates (mats) and even at times inside the house depending on the weather, for an average drying time of 20 days. Raw Material and Red Beetle Coffee Lab have focused their work in the Oaxaca and Chiapas regions and been working with smallholder producers contributing to regional 'blends' as well as separating some special coffees for micro-lots including this natural from Carlos Hernandez. It was a privilege to cup these fresh crop coffees at the Red Beetle HQ and a few the the many lots we tasted have made their way to the UK spread amongst the roasters that attended the trip. We were lucky in securing this lot from Carlos and it's our first release from that trip. Production yields have become dangerously low and over the last ten years coffee leaf rust disease and the lack of financial or agricultural means to tackle it has reduced production by up to 90% in some regions. The average yield in Oaxaca is now just 100kg of parchment per hectare. For context, in Colombia, the average yield is 2,400kg per hectare. The vast majority of Mexico’s 500,000 coffee producers are smallholder farmers and have one hectare or less of land under coffee. This makes the average annual production for many producers just 100kg, making coffee farming more and more unsustainable. This is fuelling widespread migration to urban centres in Mexico and the United States. In short, coffee production is disappearing.

Our latest Guatemalan goodness is a welcome return from Francisco Morales and his farm La Esperanza, the first farm we visited on our trip back in 2024 with importer Primavera. La Esperanza is perched at 1700m high up in the famous Huehuetenango (abbrev. huehue) region and the views from the drying patios of the surrounding mountains were quite something. Francisco and his wife have been the proud owners of La Esperanza farm in Cipresales for over 40 years over which time they have achieved a great deal. As like many other producers, the initial years of starting their farm activities were very challenging ones. But thanks to the hard work, dedication and commitment of the family, the farm has grown into a business that provides income for the household and generates a source of employment for many others in the surrounding area. The name of the farm, which in English translates into “The Hope”, explains well how important coffee production is for them. Francisco is the type of person that never feels done learning new things. His eagerness to hear experiences from others, and try out new things at the farm, wet mill or drying area. His curiosity and interest for improving coffee quality resulted in winning several prizes the Huehuetenango Highland competitions. Francisco’s son Desvin is in charge of the processing of his lots. Lots are depulped the same day as harvest and dry fermented around 24 hours (but this can vary based on the ambient temperature each day). The coffee is then dried on the cement patio. Roast profile: We've roasted this coffee in our 'omni' profile. A little more development of body and sweetness than a pure filter profile which means this coffee suits brewing with any method ie. filter or espresso.

Our latest easy drinker is the return of this Amarelo Mantiqueira from the Serra de Mantiqueira region of Brazil and is a blend of Yellow Bourbon coffees from various smallholders in the area that sell their coffees to the Cocarive cooperative. We visited Cocarive back in September 2025 and to say it was impressive is an understatement. The Serra de Mantiqueira stretch across São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro states. Located in the Minas Gerais state, the Mantiqueria de Minas area was the first to get a geographical indication in the Brazilian coffee industry (supported and developed by BSCA). This fresh approach, akin to ‘terroir’ in the wine industry, is redefining how people view specialty coffee from Brazil with 25 counties in the region and 7,800 producers, of which 89% are smallholders. The area comprises 69,500 hectares and altitude ranges from 900 to 1,500 masl, with a predominance of yellow varieties over the more typical red. All coffees are minimum 84 SCA points as part of the denomination and many enter the late harvest Cup of Excellence in Brazil. The lower altitudes are often grazed by cattle and the steeper slopes compared to other parts of the state mean that the near ubiquitous mechanisation of the coffee industry in Brazil is much less commonly seen, and hand picking more prevalent. Though both red and yellow cherries are grown across the region, altitude often splits the choices, with yellow generally being grown at higher elevations and therefore forming a larger percentage of quality coffees form the region. Once the coffee is picked, it is processed through to dry milling on the farm, and then brought to the Cocarive warehouse just outside São Lourenço. It is then rigorously cupped under the guidance of ex Brazilian cupping Champion Wellington Pereira (aka Baba).

Our fourth year with this beautiful coffee from Jonny Martinez and his import business MiCafe and it never fails to please. We've bought some exceptional coffees over the last few years from MiCafe including this special Pink Bourbon and jumped at the chance to buy it again. Jonny owns El Jaragual which is managed by his cousin Jorge Mira. El Jaragual, spans 150 hectares located in Amalfi, Antioquia, Colombia, positioned perfectly in the northern area of the central Colombian Andes. A significant portion of El Jaragual is dedicated to forestry, leveraging Jorge's background as a forestry engineer. The farm features a blend of pine tree plantations aimed at sustainable timber production, alongside conserved areas of native forest. Currently, they cultivate seven coffee varieties at El Jaragual, shaded by plantain trees and other native agroforestry species, ranging from traditional varieties like Castillo/Colombia to exotic types such as this Pink Bourbon, Geisha, Typica Mejorado and Sidra. The coffee processing methods employed at El Jaragual are refined, involving extended fermentation phases with yeast inoculation and temperature adjustments, such as warm water rinses and cool water quenches, to enhance and stabilise the aromatic qualities developed during fermentation. This represents a thoughtful balance between traditional and modern processing techniques, in line with the techniques we've seen over the last few years from the likes of Wilton Benitez and Diego Bermudez amongst others. The method is multi-step starting with a period of oxidisation in the cherry in drums for 24hrs. Then de-pulping and a further 24hr dry oxidation followed by a brief hot 45C washing (thermal shock). Then the 36hr wet fermentation with a specific yeast culture. Washing at 5C to ‘seal’ the fermentation, and finally 76hr controlled drying.