It’s officially spring and Oaxaca is in full swing, with lots shipping April through June and arrivals starting in May. These sought-after coffees are inherently limited, and we’ve been as selective as ever this season even as volumes are down. Seeing the competitive landscape and the quality coming in, we can’t help but think about why Oaxaca remains worth the extra effort year after year.
We’ve spent the season thus far actively traveling and communicating with farmers in all five of the major Oaxacan regions in which we work. We’re now seeing great quality arriving into the warehouse and will be supervising all milling and transit closely as always to make sure coffees remain in top shape. We’re trucking all Mexico coffees across the border to ensure speed and ease of arrival.
Community ID Quality
We’re presenting these as community ID lots not because their quality is any less than producer ID level, but because the outputs of each producer are tiny, limited to 1-5 bags. The coffees themseves are subtly complex, extremely clean and drinkable, crowd-pleasing and sweetness-driven but refined, with notes of tangerine, green apple, red grape, nectarine, raspberry—all representative of the classic lineages of Oaxacan heirloom Bourbon and Typica that comprise them.
Competition, Costs, & Clarity of Purpose
Growing interest in Mexican coffee has increased sourcing competition, which is helpful for producers and continues to drive improvements in quality. At the same time, ongoing labor shortages (we’ve been talking about them quarterly for years at this point) and lower yields (climate-driven this year and last year) are driving up costs. A lot of this competition comes from increasing consumption within Mexico from local specialty roasters, while outside of Mexico consumers are increasingly catching on to how amazing the coffees are. We keep hearing that these coffees are some of our clients’ best selling and most requested single origins.
A Labor of Love—Emphasis on the Labor
For us, Mexico sourcing is a labor of love—with emphasis on the labor as much as the love. It’s difficult to convey just how much work goes into the smallest yields, both by producers before the coffees make it to us, and by us to get the coffees from tree to market. Every detail matters and nowhere on Earth are those little details as delicate as they are here. These coffees represent an incredible group endeavor where every element has to harmonize to bring them to your cupping table. We hear over and over from clients and producers that it’s absolutely worth it.
All that to say, these coffees are scarce and precious as always—we’re so excited to taste your roast of them.
Interested in sourcing coffee with us? Reach out at info@redfoxcoffeemerchants.com. To learn more about our work, check out our journal and follow us on Instagram @redfoxcoffeemerchants.