Melisa - Robusta espresso from Mexico

This coffee is unfortunately sold out, but we plan to have it back with the next harvest .

In eastern Mexico, in Córdoba, two sisters run a family ranch in the fourth generation. In recent years they have specialized in direct contact with roasters, creating new markets and perspectives and making themselves robust for specialties. 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 Infos

Origin: Córdoba, Veracruz, Mexico

Producers: various partner farmers of Rancho San Felipe

varieties: 1 00% Robusta (unknown)

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

Arrived at the roastery: October 2023

All our coffees are sold as whole beans.

This is how we would prepare the Melisa

Tell me more about Melisa's work

The two sisters Melisa and Jimena actually had a different plan than taking over a ranch - Melisa studied architecture and moved to Switzerland. Jimena studied agricultural science in Mexico and decided to take over the family business with Melisa after her studies. Family ties can mean motivation, obstacles, but also commitment and pride. Melisa and Jimena have seen for themselves how challenging the last 20 years have been. They have experienced the hopes and the pain, and seen that in Mexico in particular it is time for young women to make their mark in a male-dominated field. Rancho San Felipe is now run by the fourth generation of the two sisters. Their father, Adrián, geared the ranch towards coffee, expanded the network enormously and became a fixed star in the coffee region around Córdoba, Veracruz.

Why does coffee taste the way it does?

Melisa and Jimena sorted the coffee cherries in 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 is intensified during fermentation. The coffee is carried by the texture, has the classic intensity of a Robusta, a delicate acidity and a fine fruitiness, with barely perceptible 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 way as young women in a male-dominated field and are 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 to quality. It is not easy to convince producers to produce quality, which is why the work of Melisa and Jimena is even more valuable because they are doing exactly that.

How do we roast these coffees?

We roast the coffee from Rancho San Felipe 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 have twice as much chlorogenic acid and break down into caffeic and quinic acid during the roasting process, which can create more bitterness in longer and hotter roasts. By roasting for a short time at 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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