Mexico –– Nuevo Paraiso

This is a milestone for us. Mexico: Nuevo Paraiso marks the first coffee Peregrine has ever brought in from Mexico, after years of Stephen and Arrott wanting to make it happen. The timing finally came together when we began sharing a temporary roasting space in Richardson, TX, home to our new sister location, with Jake Smith of Red Fox / Liaise Coffees. Jake has been part of our longest-standing sourcing relationship, connecting us with Burundian producers since before Peregrine was even Peregrine, and it turns out that same relationship was a door into Mexico as well.

The Nuevo Paraiso community sits in the La Concordia district of Chiapas, close enough to reach in about four hours from the Chiapas airport. In recent decades, the community has seen significant migration of its male residents abroad in search of better opportunities, leaving many farms in the hands of women managing both the land and their families alone. What began as a serious challenge has, over time, become something else entirely: these women have become skilled, capable farm managers in their own right, and the coffee reflects that steady hand.

Farms here average one to two hectares, most located right alongside the family home, with washing and drying often happening on-site as well. Producers get their coffee to market by whatever means available, their own vehicles, communal trucks, or a call to the local collection center. Leguminous ice cream bean trees provide shade and fix nitrogen naturally, and farmers fertilize with organic compost made from their own coffee pulp. This lot is certified organic at the farm level, grown by producers for whom that practice was never a trend, but simply how the land has always been kept.

One of those producers is Jorge Luis Hernández López (coordinates 15°48'55.1"N, 92°54'13.075"W). His farm is one of several that make up this lot, representative of the care and consistency found throughout the Nuevo Paraiso community.

The coffee is washed, fermented for approximately 40 hours in concrete tanks, then dried for 12 to 15 days on patios and raised beds. Varieties include Caturra, Typica, Bourbon, and Marsellesa, grown between 1,350 and 1,800 meters above sea level.

The cup is warm and comforting. Hot Cocoa leads with a rich, chocolatey sweetness that feels immediately familiar. Nougat brings a confectionary sweetness to the mid-palate, rounding things out with real body. Cherry Pie closes the cup with a baked, fruit-forward finish that ties the whole experience together.

We have wanted to bring a coffee like this home for a long time. We are glad it was worth the wait.

Profile

• Roast: Light-Medium
• Region: Chiapas, Mexico
• Farm: Nuevo Paraiso Community (Various Smallholders)
• Process: Washed
• Elevation: 1,350–1,800 MASL
• Variety: Caturra, Typica, Bourbon, Marsellesa
• Cup: Hot Cocoa, Nougat, Cherry Pie