Sochiapam

Description

Notes Bing Cherry, Candied Lemon, Pastry Cream Origin San Pedro Sochiapam, Oaxaca, Mexico Varieties Pluma, Typica, Bourbon Elevation 1700-1900 MASL Process Washed This lot from smallholder producers in the community of San Pedro Sochiapam is one of the highest scoring coffees we selected on our sourcing trip to Oaxaca earlier this year. Comprised of various highly regarded cultivars and processed with a traditional washed method, this selection presents exceptionally crisp flavors of stone fruit and citrus, impeccably balanced with a silky-sweet finish.   Sochiapam, a six-hour drive north from the capital city, is one of the largest coffee growing regions in all of Oaxaca. Most producers here have very small plots of just 1-2 hectares each, situated at the highest elevations about an hour outside of town, accessible only by foot or by mule. This is a heavily wooded area with an abundance of wildlife and is home to a protected nature reserve in which commercial activity of any kind - logging, agriculture, hunting, fishing - is prohibited. Sochiapam’s producers play a critical role in ensuring that this preserve remains intact.  Each farmer fully processes and dries their own lots, which all begin with the selective hand picking of ripe fruit. After being pulped to remove the outer skin, coffees are fermented for 18-24 hours in wooden tanks, thoroughly rinsed, then spread out in thin layers on rooftops to dry for 6-10 days. Since many of these lots are simply too small to be exported individually, our sourcing partners in Oaxaca expertly combined several standouts during the final milling stage to craft this small reserve lot, which we feel presents the finest quality coming out of this particular community.