While imported coffee seeds were grown in Mexico from as early as the 18th century, it was only after gaining its sovereignty from Spain in 1836 that commercial cultivation flourished. As coffee exports from the Latin American state grew, crops thrived in the southern states, where high altitudes slow cherry ripening. Today, the majority of Mexico’s coffee is sourced from just four states: Veracruz, Oaxaca, Puebla, and Chiapas. Recently, these regions have been renowned for their dedication to organic and Fair Trade practices.

Chiapas is Mexico’s southernmost coffee-growing state, bordering another coffee producer, Guatemala. Along the steep terrain, consistent cloud cover, and forest-shaded plots of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, coffee is typically grown between 1,200 and 1,800 metres above sea level. Farming culture there is centred on the aggregation of small lots, produced throughout the state. This is thanks to collaborations between coffee cooperatives, like Covoya coffee. After washing and de-pulping, most lots of coffee are typically dried at farmers’ homes, on patios or raised beds.

Over the last two decades Covoya has been a key stakeholder in Chiapas’ coffee growing communities. This organic lot of Mexican coffee is Quaffee’s third ever offering from the region.

Phaedon's tasting notes

This washed Mexican lot was a deliciously pleasant surprise. My friends at Quaffee have a knack for providing these kind of gustatory surprises. This coffee is delicious, particularly in immersion brews like a siphon or a French press. While full-bodied and sweet, it has a bright berry acidity and a nutty finish to it. It's wonderfully balanced.

Quaffee’s notes

“The cup profile from Chiapas is usually clean and round. You see mild citrus rather than sharp acidity, with chocolate, nuts and light caramel tones. Body sits medium and smooth, making the coffees flexible across brew methods.

“For our roast, we found the cocoa notes were not that distinct and rather found berries, brown sugar, and warm spice to finish. The coffee has a medium+ body.”

• Taste profile: Berries, brown sugar, warm spice to finish
• Body: Medium+
• Roast used: Gentle ramp through the roast, with an extended development through lower flame control
• Roast degree: Light
• Quaffee brews:
• Espresso: 1:2.3 (26 sec)
• AeroPress: 17.5g:200g (finer)
• Plunger: 48g:800g
• Pour-over: 18g:300g (50 sec bloom, 3.3 min total brewing time)

Coffee details from Quaffee

“Ki-Saya is an organic washed coffee developed by Covoya and first launched in 2024. It combines lots from various smallholder farmers across Chiapas, selected and profiled at origin to maintain consistency. The name joins two Mayan words: “Ki”, meaning tasty, and “Saayab”, meaning nature. That reflects both the flavour aim and the organic farming context.

“Farmers deliver ripe cherry to local collection points. After processing, the coffee shows a steady profile year to year: balanced sweetness, low to moderate acidity, and a soft, cocoa-led cup.”

• Country: Mexico
• Region: Sierra Madre de Chiapas
• Farm: Various local plots
• Producers: Smallholder farmers
• Altitude: 1,200 – 1,800 masl
• Cultivars: Arabica (Caturra, Typica); minor — Costa Rica, Marsellesa 
• Processing: Washed
• Packaging: GrainPro

Quaffee’s transparency information

• Organisation: Covoya
• Source: Zuka Green
• FOB price: $4.436
• Cupping score: 83
• Lot size bought: 1 x 69kg bag
• Relationship: [Quaffee has] been purchasing coffee from Zuka Green since their inception