A COFFEE JOURNEY TO MEXICO
JUNGLE, COLONIALISM, MAYANS AND COFFEE
A country full of contradictions. On the ground, in the climate, in the culture. With tropical forests, hidden Mayan temples in the jungle, colonial Spanish-speaking cities and coffee farms.
Despite all the inconsistency, one thing is all in agreement:
Coffee is the "black nectar of dreams".
CAFE ‘ALTURA’ THE HIGHER, THE BETTER COFFEE
Farms in Chiapas are inaccessible, 'hooked' on steep slopes and everything is done by hand. Owners are families and the average area is from 10 to 20 acres. And so is the 75% of the total coffee production in the country. But not only the plantations are high. It's the quality!
FACING OBSTACLES
To get to the coffee trees we struggled, walking almost shaggy, when the locals crossed the same paths in comfort, having sacks on their backs and sometimes ... children. It is admirable what they are doing, faced with the hardness of the landscape, unpredictable microclimates and 'would-be' intermediaries who take the product with a 50% down payment and then disappearing forever. Fortunately some companies have decided to give them better tools for best results.
We were in the 8th coffee country in the world. We met proud descendants of the great Mayan civilization. We walked the same paths they do daily to reach the plantation. And we admired them. Not just for their resistance to the great difficulties of thelandscape. Mainly for the great insistence of reaching an aromatic, intense product, with strong body and fruity notes. In spite of all the obstacles, they will succeed. And we will enjoy it!
