Mexico La Union

Tastes Like: White peach, Graham cracker, Almond
Producer - The community of Sierra Mazateca
Origin - San Mateo Yoloxochitlan, Sierra Mazateca, Oaxaca, Mexico
Variety - Typica, Bourbon, Mundo Novo
Process - Washed

The Sierra Mazateca, where this coffee is from, is part of the Sierre Madre de Oaxaca mountain range, located in the far north of Oaxaca state. The area is named after the indigenous Mazatec people who live in this area. We are proud to be able to work with many of the indigenous coffee producers in this region. La Union is a small group of loosely associated producers based in and around San Mateo Yoloxochitlán whose parchment is collected by our partners in the region, Red Beetle Coffee Lab.

Oaxaca is full of very small coffee producers - some producing as little as 5-10 kg per year. The limited quantities do not mean quality is low, often quite the opposite is true. What makes Oaxaca an especially unique area of Mexico for coffee is that the internal market is also very willing to buy Oaxacan coffees. So, Osito and our partners on the ground in Mexico have to work hard and compete to be able to source these tiny lots. Then we spend considerable time and effort to put together lots of similar cup quality/profile, moisture content and water activity to create what we refer to as “community microlots” For all the time and effort it takes to secure these lots, it is always worth it - these coffees are exciting and showcase a side of Mexican coffee often unexplored and under-appreciated.