Bellwether’s Marketplace Coffee Spotlight: Mexico Sierra Azul
Sierra Azul is back on our green coffee marketplace, and we wanted to share our perspective on what makes Sierra Azul a must-try. To better understand the story behind the coffee, we sat down with Gabriel Boscana, our own green coffee buyer, to talk about the people, the places, and the vivid flavors that define this offering.
Q: What stood out to you about the producers and communities behind Sierra Azul, and how would you describe their approach to cultivating this coffee?
A: What stood out to me was their desire to create a good specialty coffee that focused on younger producers and women. Sierra Azul is a beautiful coffee, grown by people who genuinely care about their community. Everyone in the Sierra Azul community–from the farmers, to processors, to in-house agronomists–shares the twin goals of quality and sustainability.
Q: What else stood out to you on your visit?
A: The landscape. It’s in a continual state of transition. The land near sea level was similar to Southern California (makes sense!), but as you head into the mountains, the earth turns red and the trees become more lush. The coffees are clean and sweet and very straightforward. The people, though, as usual, were the most important element. Their commitment to quality is palpable. The people I met helped me understand Sierra Azul more than anything.
Q: What environmental factors, elevation, microclimate, and soil conditions play the biggest role in shaping Sierra Azul’s flavor profile?
A: Everything plays a role. However, the major ones are healthy trees, clean water for processing, and producers who can identify peak ripeness before picking. There is a lot of amazing coffee out there, and the quality suffers mostly from bad picking and unclean processing conditions. These are not issues for Sierra Azul; there is education for the different partners, including cupping their own coffees before they are chosen for the Sierra Azul brand.
Q: We probably should have started with this, but how does it taste? How does the flavor profile compare with other coffees from Mexico?
A: Sierra Azul is delicious; it is very easy and pleasant to drink. But it’s also more nuanced than most coffees from Mexico. I get caramel, milk chocolate, and vanilla creamsicle notes from it, along with a bit of maple syrup, and everything is in balance. Lighter roasts will bring out more of the light honey and caramel notes, with less body. The darker roasts will express more of the dark chocolate; and the maple notes are a bit stronger, but not overpowering.
Q: From a green buying perspective, what made this lot stand out compared to others you cupped during the trip?
A: The clean finish. This coffee was crisp and sweet and very clear in the cup. The sweetness of the caramel notes really stood out and balanced the acidity nicely.
Q: How do you feel Sierra Azul stands out against other coffees we’ve had, and what do you think customers will appreciate most about it?
A: I think what stands out the most is how versatile this coffee is. This would be a killer flash brew iced coffee or cold brew, but equally good as a single-origin espresso, French press, or single-origin pour over. It’s also a great blend component. It is just a people pleaser and overall team player as far as use–it would be a great starting point for any menu.
Q: Anything else you want to share?
A: Yes. For decades, Mexican coffee was overlooked–a lot of production went to Coca-Cola and was used purely for caffeine. That has changed significantly in the last decade or so. Mexico’s coffee-growing potential is HUGE - there are many different climates, conditions, and landscapes that truly shape a vast variety of coffee profiles and communities. Mexico is also our neighbor. Their art, music, food, and yes, coffee, compare favorably to any place in the world! Visiting Sierra Azul was merely a way to confirm what we already knew. Mexico is creating wonderful coffees, and their reputation will improve as more people experience them.
The Sierra Azul (OCT 25) is now available in our marketplace. Order yours today.
