Kenya Returns and Mexico Delivers Another Stunner
We’re giving a warm welcome back to our first fresh-crop Kenya lot of the summer, with Gachatha as our Bright & Lively and first half of Roaster’s Choice. We’re also excited to introduce La Concordia - our third Mexican roast to be featured as Rich & Sweet and Roaster’s Choice this year.
Gachatha is a returning Ruby favorite that has been a highlight of our seasonal menu many times. However, it hasn't been featured in the Roasters Choice subscription since 2020. The roasting team has been brewing and cupping many roasts of Gachatha recently and each one brings out what we at Ruby love about Kenyan coffee: big juicy body, tangy fruit notes, and sugary sweet layers. We’ve also tasted a lot of Mexican coffee these past few months. What makes La Concordia’s cup unique? It is distinct in our Mexico lineup with its remarkably creamy body, incredible sweetness, and delightful citrus and fig notes.
As the United States’ closest coffee producing neighbor and with many flavor profiles to enjoy, we’ve really embraced Mexico’s coffee this year. We’ve been lucky that the timing and profiles of these coffees have lined up with Roasters Choice and Rich & Sweet slots. It also seems like the perfect opportunity to lean in and learn a bit more about coffee grown in Mexico. High caliber coffee is produced in several regions, including Veracruz (which you tasted last month with Mafafas) and Oaxaca (home of Yosotatu, a coffee that has been roasted at Ruby for many years). Now we have the opportunity to try something from Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico.
The origins of coffee production in Mexico began in Veracruz, via the Caribbean, around 275 years ago. It was a few decades later that the first growers of coffee in Chiapas brought in coffee trees and technology from Guatemala. Europeans were largely responsible for starting up plantations and increasing commercial production, with indigenous laborers carrying out the work. The Mexican revolution and land redistribution throughout the last century have resulted in a landscape where 95% of producers have under 3 acres and 85% of producers are indigenous people.
Grower cooperatives, such as the co-op that brought us this lot from La Concordia, help small producers with the resources to grow high quality specialty coffee. Women play a central role, particularly in this region, where men tend to go to work in the city, leaving women to run the rural farms. An ecological focus is central to specialty coffee production in Mexico, where most of the coffee is shade-grown. Despite the universal challenges of economics, crop disease, etc., Mexican growers will play an important role as climate change shifts where coffee can be grown. We’ll continue to celebrate these sweet and delightful coffees from our Southern neighbor.
Cheers!
Katy