Mexican Coffee: What is so special about coffee from Mexico? Altura Superior specialty gourmet coffee.

Coffees called Altura Coatepec are from the higher mountains of the state. Oaxaca State, located on the opposite side of the southern slopes of the central mountain range, produces coffees marketed under the names Oaxaca or Oaxaca Puma. Chiapas State, in the mountains of the southeastern corner of Mexico, near the border with Guatemala, grows "Tapachula" coffee. However, Altura Superior from Vera Cruz state remains a favorite of coffee lovers for its unequalled excellence and flavor.

The quality of coffee depends largely on how it is grown, cared for, harvested, processed and finally sold to consumers. Every step of the coffee cultivation, from bean to seedling to bush to product for export has an impact on how good or bad the coffee will ultimately be.

Altura Superior coffee growers take great care in growing, picking and processing each and every coffee bean. They harvest the coffee cherries three times during the season picking only the ripened red berries. The berries are then washed in rainwater and dried under the sun to bring out the flavor to its fullest.
After this stage, the beans are hand sorted to remove unevenly sized beans. This is important to ensure consistency later on for even roasting. This attention to detail also helps prevent any trace of bitterness from burned beans.

Altura Superior Coffee: muy excelente y delicioso!

There are more than 100,000 small farms growing coffee in Mexico, most of them in the south of the country. The coffee producing regions of Vera Cruz and Chiapas account for two thirds of the Mexican coffee crop.
The remainder is grown in Puebla and other states including Oaxaca. There are large coffee plantations in the states of Oaxaca, Chiapas and Guerrero.

Mexicans like drinking coffee and consume over half of the coffee production. The other half is for export, most of it to the United States.

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At present, Mexico ranks high among world coffee exporters. The Mexican government grades coffee based on the altitude where it is grown.
The majority of the Mexican coffee is processed by the wet method. This helps ensure better acidity and body, important characteristics for coffee tasting, ranking, and premium pricing.

Altura Superior coffee benefits from the right altitude, climate and soil conditions to produce a cup that is quite remarkable. Arabica coffee plants grow best at altitudes between 3,000 to 6,000 feet.
Such altitude protects the plants from parasites that cause problems at lower altitudes.

Altura Superior Coffee: quality and great taste

Temperatures between 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit are ideal for coffee growing. The Arabica coffee plant is not suited for hot temperatures. The Robusta coffee plant grows well in hotter and more humid conditions, at lower altitudes.
However, there is a world of difference between the quality of Arabica beans and Robusta beans.
Altura Superior coffee comes from Arabica coffee plantations in the "high" mountains around Coatepec in the central region of Vera Cruz state.

Generally speaking, the coffee growing area gets about 75 inches of rainfall per year over a period of about nine months.
There are 2 to 3 months of dry weather which are necessary to allow the coffee buds to flower and sprout new growth.
Coffee plants do not do well if they "sit" in water for long periods of time. Coffee plants need soil that drains well. In areas with insufficient rainfall, coffee farmers use careful irrigation to provide adequate water for the coffee plants.

Altura Superior coffee benefits from Coatepec's yearly median temperature of 67 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmest month is May (86°F) and the coolest month is January (48 °F).
Rainfall is more frequent and copious during June, so called the beginning of the rainy season, and in September, the end of the rainy season.
Overall, there are about 161 days with rain each year. Fog is very common during winter months.
The combination of these weather patterns, moderate humidity and agreeable temperature year round contribute to strong and healthy coffee plants that yield Altura Superior beans.

Coatepec is "Coffee Town:" a sleepy, quaint town worth visiting located in the central region of the Mexican state of Veracruz. Coatepec is where Altura Superior grows. There are many historic attractions.

For example, the Zócalo or "main square" is lined with restaurants, side-street or open-front cafés. The aroma of fresh ground coffee permeates the air. It is an open invitation to any visitor to stop and enjoy a cup of their renowned Altura Superior coffee.
The local cafés serve coffee in many different ways, including espresso, straight, foamy and Italian. "Café con Leche"is delicious, basically a cup of fresh coffee mixed with hot milk.

At night, it is still common to see mothers or "chaperones" escorting daughters of marrying age on dates. Strolling musicians, mariachi bands and local vendors selling crafts, foods and other merchandise add to the colorful atmosphere.

The city's colonial Spanish architecture is beautiful. The occasional sight and sound of a horse drawn carriage transporting tourists adds to the charm of narrow colonial streets.

The "Cerro de Culebras" (Snake Hill) offers a good view of the city and provides an opportunity to learn about Aztec history. Coatepec's many catholic churches display baroque and neoclassical artistic details that are museum quality.

In addition, there are also many theaters, a coffee museum and art galleries. Nightlife is vibrant featuring regional music and international tunes of all types.

Enjoy a "Café Con Leche"!

It is only in recent years that the small coffee farmers started forming cooperatives that have become quite influential. The increased demand for organic coffee is a very positive development for these farmers who follow sustainable environmental practices.

The certification of SHG (Strictly High Grown) organic coffee is a prized label that farmers seek for the obvious economic rewards which are a primary incentive to retain the integrity of organic growing practices.

The "cafés de altura" (high altitude grown coffees such as Altura Supremo) grow under specifically selected shade trees. These trees provide shade from the sun which is important for growing healthy coffee plants. The shade trees also provide soil enrichment as the trees lose their leaves. The shade trees and the coffee trees are mutually supporting each other for years in a delicate but well balanced way.

A favorite shade tree for Altura Superior coffee plants is called "Chalahuite" or "Inga Edulis." This is commonly called the "ice cream tree" because of its pods that fall to the ground and add rich organic material to the soil.

Mexican coffee farmers have also become very smart natural herb growers. Many different types of herbs are planted under the coffee plants to prevent soil erosion which is a threat to coffee farms.

It is fascinating to see how a problem was turned into an opportunity with a remarkable sense of practicality. The coffee farmers plant only herbs that can be used for food or medicinal purposes, thus assuring themselves of another cash crop.

What about drinking a cup of delicious specialty gourmet Altura Supremo coffee?

Ready to try a Mexican coffee recipe at home?

• Vanilla comes from a beautiful lily-like flower that has greenish and yellow color hues.
• Vanilla flowers are beautiful themes for wallpapers and paintings.
• Vanilla flowers look like a small orchid flower with three petals and three sepals.
• One of the petals, as is common with orchids, has a trumpet like lip.
• The overall flower appearance is very delicate and elegant.

• Vanilla plants need the bees to transfer the pollen from the anther to the stigma of the vanilla flower. The anther and stigma are the female and male plant organs which every vanilla flower has.
• The time to accomplish natural pollination is very short. Natural pollination can only happen when the vanilla flower is open.
• Amazingly, vanilla flowers open in the morning for one day only. A vanilla plant may have between 20 to 100 flowers at one time clustered together. However, usually only one flower in the elongated flower cluster or "raceme" opens in one day.
• If pollination does not take place when the flower is opened, the flower simply drops from the stem the next day. Such limited and precise pollination time for a single flower at a time does not leave much to chance.
• It is a good thing the Mexican "Melipona" bees have been around to propagate vanilla cultivation naturally. Attempts to replicate natural pollination outside of Mexico have not been successful.

1. Vanilla Nut
2. Vanilla Hazelnut
3. Vanilla Cream
4. Vanilla Almond
5. Raspberry Vanilla
6. French Vanilla
7. Crème brûlée
8. Cherry Vanilla

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