The roads wind around the mountainsides as they climb from
Oaxaca City, north and east to Talea de Castro. Seven of us huddled in a rental
that was too big to be a car and too small to be a minivan. There were three
mountain ridges that would challenge our engine and especially the brakes between
our destination and the city. We hugged the mountainsides as we climbed,
admiring views of the valleys deep below, with awe and trepidation. Jordi drove and chatted with our guide
in the passenger seat.
We had only been in Mexico for a couple days. We met with
our guide, Clemente Santiago Paz, in a café in Oaxaca City the night we
arrived. Clemente is a Q grader
based in Oaxaca City. His job is
to evaluate the quality of coffees at farms in Mexico for a handful of brokers
and organizations and to help the farmers increase their quality. He poured over options and
possibilities with our team that Friday night. The growing regions were all four or five hours away from
the city through the mountains in separate directions. We had to choose carefully, as we could
only afford a trip to one.
Clemente settled on a village clinging to the mountain face in the
Sierra Madre Del Norte. Talea de
Castro is nestled in the mountains on the Gulf side of the divide. Bathing in
the moist air the Gulf brings to the valley, it is a beautiful and refreshing
change to the winter desert surrounding Oaxaca City. It provides perfect Coffee growing climate.
When we settled in our village hotel and had eaten dinner in
the house/restaurant of motherly lady, we met with a group of farmers in the
village square. This bunch of
young passionate farmers had formed a cooperative group called Oro Taleano
(Talean Gold). They committed
themselves to improving the quality of life for Talean families through their
coffee.
Jordi and Chris hopped in the back of a pickup truck with
the farmers. Clemente assured us that we careened down the gravel mountain
roads at a cautious pace as we rode from one farmer’s little finca to another.
These farmers each have smallholdings scattered around their houses and in the
forests across the valleys.
If you
have in mind a pristine and organized orchard, the steep mountain crags would
shock you as you see the coffee growing variously under the protective shade of
sombra trees. We scrambled down among them listening to the stories of the
farmers and tasting with them the sweet ripe cherries enveloping the
beans.
Most of the plants belonged
to their grandparents and were reaching the end of their productive years.
They told us about how they were
nurturing new plants that in the coming years would bring new vitality to their
farms.
The next day, after breakfast at the same dear lady’s
kitchen and a trip through square on market day, we visited a couple of
farmer’s houses in the village within walking distance. Their houses were surrounded by small
groups of coffee trees providing more opportunity to harvest. They pointed across the valley to the
other mountainside where they also had houses and farms. They would alternate time tending their
crops there with the crops nearer the village. The whole valley is the responsibility of the farmers of
Talea de Castro.
We went to one farmer’s house where he showed us how he pulped
the cherries, removing the coffee, still in its parchment, from the cherry
husks with a machine. His machine
has an electric motor, while many of the others operate it by a crank. He then
showed us a vat where the beans are left to ferment overnight before being
spread out on rooftops, patios, or even on tarps in the street to dry. Then he invited us into his house where
his family shared space with his stores of coffee and we sat in the gloaming
drinking cups of hot sweet liquid as we talked about their dreams and plans for
improving their future.
They had shown us an empty preschool that they would like
to turn into a center for investigation, where they can process and test their
coffees to help determine their quality, and how to improve. The location would also provide space
for education about coffee production, a large drying patio, and a nursery for
young plants. We talked about how
we might be able to partner with them in making this dream a reality.
Remarkably the farmers rarely see their coffee the way we
see it. As rosters we are used to seeing the hard green beans already processed
and sorted, without defect. That is why we count it such a privilege to see the
cherries ripen on the tree, put them in our mouths, and touch the beans in their
parchment. The farmers on the
other hand only have that side of the experience. They taste the sweetness of
the cherry, observe the proper color as it ripens, and a nice even light color
to the parchment gives them indication that the crop will be good. They don’t
know the quality of the bean, however, until it is hulled and then sorted for
defect. This happens back in the
city. The few roasting operations
in the village will take their unsorted coffee, roast it darkly and mill it on
the spot to a dark powder. These roasters treat it like another local
commodity, corn. It is hard to taste the quality of the bean under this
dark-roasted treatment. The coffee our friends offered us had a glimmer of
promise obscured by the roast. We
became excited to take some back to Oaxaca City to roast and cup it.
We said goodbye to our new friends and headed back over
three mountain ridges for Oaxaca City.
A few days latter, Clemente brought the samples from Talea to us. He had
hulled and roasted them and we were ready to cup. We were nervous.
This was the only group of farmers we were able to meet on this
trip. Their coffee wasn’t sorted
to give us just the best. They
were proud of how they treated it and were confident, and we were anxious for
them to be proved right. Two
Talean farmers had given us samples and they were on the table next to another
that Clemente thought promising from another part of the state. The Talean coffee shined on the cupping
table, and we couldn’t be happier.
Now we are working to import their coffee. We are also
excited with the idea of crowd-funding their center for investigation. We’d love to return in a couple years
and see how they’ve grown, and how their passion has made their dreams
reality. We want a long-term
relationship with these farmers to be a part of those dreams.
While we wait for the opportunity to roast and serve Oro
Taleano, we want to celebrate our trip to Mexico with a flight of Mexican
coffees from local roasters. Stop
into either of our locations to give them a try. Also talk to Jordi in New
Center, and Chris in Clark Park about our trip and what we’ve learned.
