Coffee grown in Casadra Manor in Veracruz, Mexico

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Mexico is located at the northern end of Central America, the uppermost edge of the coffee production belt, the coffee producing areas of coatepec (Cortepe) and veracruz (Veracruz) in the north, the Pluma coffee in the Oaxac (Oaxaca) region in the middle, and the Chiapas (Chiapas) Highlands on the southern border with the Malavitte fruit producing region in Guatemala. The vast majority of Mexican coffee is washed Arabica coffee, which is characterized by a very strong special aroma, a bit like overfermented fruit. Chiapas (Chiapas) beans at the southernmost tip of Mexico have a mild and delicate taste and a very special aroma.

Producing area: Cordoba Cordoba/ Veracruz Veracruz

Producer: Casadra Manor (Rivas Family/ Kassandra)

Altitude: 1500

Variety: Kaddura Caturra

Treatment: washing

Grade: SHG

Flavor description: fruity, walnut, milk chocolate flavor, sweet citrus flavor.

Casadra Manor, International Rainforest Certification, second in 2015COE and second in 2017COE. The estate is located in Veracruz, where coffee was first grown in Mexico. With a friendly and ecological attitude, the owner Rivas family has retained 27 acres of rainforest in the park, where birds and wildlife live. At present, large-scale tree planting projects are still under way.

In 1983, Mr. Guillermo Rivas and his father, Mr. Andres Rivas, bought the "Casa Blanca" ranch in the state of Veracruz, near Huatusco, Mexico. This will be where Don Andries retired because he grew up on a farm, a lifestyle reminiscent of his childhood.

Andries Rivas Gomez was born in the Koyoacan region on the outskirts of Mexico. His father was a blacksmith and his mother was a native Mexican of the Tevana tribe. His name was Trinidad. Trinidad (her nickname) has a cousin named Matilde, an employee of German immigrants, and he has a photography shop called Wilhelm Carlo, which is called Gilmore Carlo in Mexico. Then Matilde and Gilmore got married and had four daughters.

Since there was not much money in his family and he had 10 brothers and sisters, his only choice was to join the Mexican army, where he was quickly promoted. Because he was good at math, he was invited to join the first generation of naval engineering academy recently established in Veracruz. He graduated here in 1938 as a naval engineer, and soon he met Maria Isabel Diaz, who became his wife. They had three sons: Andre, Gilmore (in memory of his uncle Gilmore) and Louis. He continued to participate passively in World War II, transporting oil from the port of xpan veracruz to Haringen, Texas.

"Rancho Casa Blanca" was originally used for cattle production, but because the Huatusco area is famous for its high-quality coffee, the farm was converted into a coffee plantation in 1990. The plantation is located at 1200 meters above sea level, with annual precipitation between 1400mm and 2000 mm, with rainy season from June to February and dry season from March to May. The average temperature is 22 degrees Celsius, which is the perfect condition for high quality coffee.

The total area of the farm is 46 hectares, of which 38 hectares are planted with Katura and Katuai varieties of coffee. After proper farming and management, the yield reached 30 pieces of 1/5 per hectare, all of which were sold to local factories in the form of coffee cherries. Casablanca now covers an area of 70 hectares and has its own tanning plant since 2003.

At the end of 1996, Mr. Gilmore Rivas bought some ranches near Blanca Ranch. These pastures are merged to form a "Finca Kassandra", with an expansion of 465 hectares (actually 606 hectares). Don Gilmore envisioned turning Finka Sandra into the largest and best coffee estate in Veracruz. The plantation will have a high yield of "manor-grade" coffee, and in order to ensure this quality, all coffee must be grown and ground in Finka Cass Sandra.

Although "Finca Kassandra" is 10 miles from "Casa Blanca Ranch" and is located on the road from Huatusco to Coathepec, the conditions here are more suitable for coffee production. Although the temperature is several degrees lower (an average of 19 degrees per year), the annual precipitation is basically the same, in part because it is between 1250 and 1450 meters above sea level.

Ensure that the coffee varieties used in the plantations are those that are visited in the purest form in El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Colombia and Brazil. Seeds of Pakamara, Katula, Katuai and Tippika (Jamaican Blue Mountains) varieties obtained from this country. The plantation began in June 1997, the beginning of the rainy season, and 398 hectares have been planted since then, with 40 hectares of land available by 2004. In order to ensure sanctuary for wildlife, 27 hectares of land has not been planted as pristine rainforest.

Since "Finca Kassandra" was originally used to raise cattle, the previous owners did not leave many trees, so they decided to build an open-air plantation, similar to the high-yielding farm in Costa Rica. This view is slowly changing for a variety of reasons, and a plan is being developed to plant shade trees of both local and foreign varieties. This helps coffee occur during cold periods, sometimes in Finka Cassandra.

Although shade reduces the productivity of coffee trees, coffee trees perform better because they are less stressed at lower yields, keep more moisture on the ground during the dry season, and improve the quality of coffee cups. Shade can also protect trees from cold weather.

Coffee from the world's fourth largest coffee producer, slippery and fragrant, Mexico, the fourth largest coffee producer in the world, produces about 5 million bags of coffee a year. Most of its coffee is produced by nearly 100000 small farmers, and large estates that once manipulated the coffee industry are rare. The yield of Mexican coffee is about 630 kg per hectare. Later, the Mexican Coffee Association (Instituto Mexicano del Caf é, or Inmecafe) took control of the coffee industry. The Coffee Association controls both coffee cultivation and the market for coffee beans that can be exported since November. The association provides farmers with minimum purchase prices, technical advice and other assistance. However, since 1991, the Coffee Association's activities have been reduced and its functions are likely to be further weakened.

The collapse of the coffee agreement (Coffee Agreement) and the disappearance of price support have actually helped some producers by forcing them to develop their own brands and gain closer ties with foreign markets, while the NAFTA agreement between Canada, the United States and Mexico will further help Mexican products export to North America. Some people think that the best giant coffee beans are made in Mexico rather than Guatemala, but the supply and quality of coffee beans in both places can vary. The coffee beans, known as Maragogype, are large-grained and produce coffee that is smooth, mellow and fragrant. The poverty of farmers has caused most coffee to grow under natural conditions, that is, without the use of chemicals such as insecticides or fertilizers.