Mexican Coffee

Mexico has a long history of coffee production as well as its Latin neighbors the south. Mexican coffee is grown mainly in the South central to Southern regions of the country. Coffee from Coatepec and Veracruz is much different from Oaxacan Plumas, which are in turn much different from the southernmost region of Chiapas.

The later is a growing region that borders Guatemala, and you will find similarities between those coffees. In general you can expect a light-bodied coffee, mild but with delicate flavors, but there are exceptions of course. Mexico is one of the largest producers of certified organic coffees, and because of the close proximity, most Mexican coffee is exported to the U.S.

Coffee was introduced into Mexico during the nineteenth century from Jamaica. Mexican coffee is mainly the Arabica varietal, which grows particularly well in the Pacific coastal region of Soconusco, near the Guatemalan border. In the early 1990s, the southern state of Chiapas was Mexico's most important coffee-growing area, producing some 45 percent of the annual crop of 275,000 tons.

More than 2 million Mexicans grew coffee, most barely subsisting. Seventy-five percent of Mexican coffee growers worked plots of fewer than two hectares. These small cultivators produced about 30 percent of the country's annual harvest; larger and more efficient farms produced the rest.

During the 1980s, coffee became Mexico's most valuable export crop. In 1985 coffee growers produced 4.9 million sixty-kilogram bags, and coffee exports earned $882US million at the unusually high world price of $0.90US per kilogram. Thereafter output fluctuated between 5.6 million bags and 4.4 million bags.

As international coffee prices rose further, the government in 1988 encouraged coffee growers, especially in Chiapas, to increase output and expand the area under cultivation. It tried to increase production by offering easy credit to coffee growers and by converting forested land into ejidos for cultivation by poor Mexican coffee growers.

The finest grade of Mexican coffee is "Altura," which means "high-grown." Where coffee is concerned, higher always means better, and the high-grown coffees of Mexico are considered very high-quality indeed and among the finest grown in the Americas.

Mexican coffee drinkers have a unique way of brewing their coffee, many prefer to add a small amount of cinnamon to the ground coffee before brewing, this adds a distinct flavor and also reduces the acidity.

Mexican Coffee Bean

Robusta Coffee

The Robusta coffee plant is a hardier and more easily cultivated variety of coffee. It will grow at lower subtropical altitudes and is less susceptible to diseases and pests. It also has a higher yield than the Arabica.

The Robusta coffee bean lacks the depth of flavor of the Arabica bean but has a higher level of caffeine content. The Robusta variety is believed to have originated in Uganda, and is now widely grown in Africa, Brazil and Vietnam.

The value of Robusta beans is lower because it is the less desired of the two. This economic consideration has led to the common use of Robusta beans in coffee blends. Their lower price has also led to most instant coffee being derived from Robusta beans.

However, the higher caffeine content, the Robusta bean's role in creating the famous crema top found on a good espresso, and the sheer volume of demand for coffee, are other reasons for the popularity of Robusta coffee. Processing methods have been developed that can reduce the less desirable harsher "burnt rubber" taste of Robusta coffee.

Coffee beans are the "pips" of a cherry-like fruit, and the coffee trees are usually pruned to grow to four to six feet in height to facilitate the hand picking that is necessary because the fruit ripens at varying times.

Global coffee production is approaching 7 million tonnes a year, and prices have fallen since the late 1990s with plentiful levels of supply, especially since Vietnam entered the market with large additional export volumes.

While coffee has become a globally traded commodity, the several varieties and varying growing conditions around the world has created niche markets of premium quality coffee beans.

One of the more unique coffee niches is the Kopi Luwak or "monkey bean" coffee from Indonesia, which is a coffee bean that has passed through the digestion system of a tree dwelling palm civet. This bean results in a premium coffee that is very popular with gourmet coffee connoisseurs.

Robusta Coffee Bean