Melisa - Robusta espresso from Mexico

In eastern Mexico, in Córdoba, two sisters run a fourth-generation family ranch. For a few years now, they have been specializing in direct contacts with roasters, creating new markets and perspectives, and advocating for specialty robusta. The precise fermentation of this coffee gives it a light fruitiness that reminds us of rhubarb, a soft texture, notes of cashew and malt.

Melisa - coffee information

Origin: Córdoba, Veracruz, Mexico

Producers: verse. Rancho San Felipe partner farms

Varieties: 1 00% Robusta (unknown)

Post-harvest process: Fermentation in barrel for 5 days, then dried in the cherry

Arrived at the roastery: October 2023

All of our coffees are sold as whole beans.

This is how we would prepare the Melisa

Tell me more about Melisa's work

Actually, the plan of the two sisters Melisa and Jimena was something other than taking over a ranch - Melisa studied architecture and moved to Switzerland. Jimena studied agricultural science in Mexico and, after completing her studies, decided to take over the family business together with Melisa. Family ties can mean motivation, obstacles, but also obligation and pride. Melisa and Jimena have seen how challenging the last 20 years have been. They have experienced the hopes and the pain and seen that, especially in Mexico, it is time for young women to make their mark in a male-dominated world. Rancho San Felipe is now run by the fourth generation of the two sisters. Her father, Adrián, tailored the ranch to coffee, expanded the network enormously and became a fixture in the coffee region around Córdoba, Veracruz.

Why does coffee taste the way it does?

Melisa and Jimena sorted the coffee cherries in the water and removed the unripe and dry cherries. They then fermented the sorted cherries in plastic barrels for five days. This process gives the coffee a fruity character, intensifies a delicate acidity and because the cherries are so well sorted, the creamy texture intensifies during fermentation. The coffee is supported by the texture, has the classic intensity of a Robusta, a delicate acidity and a fine fruitiness, with barely noticeable bitterness.

Why did we buy this coffee?

Mainly for two reasons: firstly, because we admire the work of Melisa and Jimena, how they have found their own path as young women in a male-dominated world and are therefore breaking new ground. Secondly, because they offer an alternative for Robusta producers in Veracruz: most producers sell their Robusta to Nescafé, which has a new factory in Veracruz City and prefers quantity over quality. It's not easy to get producers involved in quality production, which is why the work of Melisa and Jimena is even more highly valued because they can do exactly that.

How do we roast these coffees?

We roast Rancho San Felipe coffee as a 15kg batch, so with a little more coffee than we would roast a filter coffee, but with less coffee than we roast other complex espressos (20kg). Why? Because we prefer a quick roast for canephoras. Canephoras contain twice as much chlorogenic acid and break down into caffeic and quinic acid during the roasting process, which can cause more bitterness in longer and hotter roasts. Through the short roasting with a lower final temperature, we retain the naturally occurring freshness in the coffee and focus on the velvety texture. We roast for 10 minutes with a development time of 1:20 minutes.

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