Artist Reserve: Mexico Chiapas Angel Albino Corzo
ARTIST RESERVE: MEXICO
CHIAPAS ANGEL ALBINO CORZO
FLORAL, SWEET SPICE, PLUM + MOLASSES
Smooth, complex, and clean, this is an amazing example of a community washed process coffee, but elevated. Slightly floral with some sweet spice accents, the coffee offers dark fruit notes of plum and a molasses-like sweetness I taste in many Chiapas coffees.
From the Artist:
I'm Raquel Amkie Cohen, a Mexican analog collage artist.
A highly sensitive soul—quiet in words, loud in thought. I have a sharp sense of humor; it sneaks into my work in playful, unexpected ways. Each piece is a mirror: a reflection of who I am, stitched with instinct, memory, and emotion. All the materials I use have found their way to me—gifted, salvaged, or stumbled upon.
I try not to buy anything, choosing instead to create with what already exists. It's my way of honoring the beauty in what's been left behind. Through collage, I give forgotten fragments a second life, and in doing so, I find pieces of myself.
My connection with GRAMO comes from something personal and tactile: I wrote their logo by hand, using my own lettering. From time to time, I also write their menu or phrases that later appear on their cups, garments, and other items. It's a subtle but close collaboration where my handwriting becomes part of their voice.
BEAN DETAILS:
ORIGIN: Ángel Albino Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico
PRODUCER: La Tarralla
PROCESS: Washed
TASTING NOTES: Slightly floral with some sweet spice accents, the coffee offers dark fruit notes of plum and a molasses-like sweetness.
ROAST TYPE: Light
Farm Level
La Tarralla - Chiapas, Mexico
Geographic Location and Access
La Tarralla is a small, remote community in the district of Ángel Albino Corzo. This community is one of the highest and most distant in Chiapas. In the steepest part of the mountain lies La Tarralla, Spanish for "The Fishing Net" and named for its distinctive shape.
To reach La Tarralla, we first fly to the Chiapas airport, then drive 4 hours to Ángel Albino Corzo. To reach the producers' houses requires another hour of driving. Unlike producers in other communities whose farms are adjacent to their homes, the farms at La Tarralla are located 2 hours' walk up the mountain.
Harvest and Processing Challenges
Since the farms are so far from the producers' homes, residents usually move into small huts on their farms during harvest. Over the course of several trips per week during harvest season, producers carry their coffee on their backs for 2 hours down the mountain, storing it at home. They then ferment the coffee in concrete tanks for approximately 24 hours and dry it between 12 and 15 days on cement patios, with drying time dependent on weather conditions.
Agricultural Practices
Producers in the area use the leguminous ice cream bean tree for shade and nitrogen fixing, along with fruit trees for shade and organic matter to add to their compost (also made from coffee pulp). This sustainable approach reflects their deep understanding of the local ecosystem.
Community Spirit and Future
One of the main characteristics of La Tarralla is the strong sense of unity that exists among its residents. There's significant mutual support between neighbors and considerable pride in belonging to the La Tarralla community. Producers here also engage in friendly competition, which drives them to improve their agricultural practices and continuously search for excellence in productivity and quality.
La Tarralla, unlike other Mexican coffee communities, still maintains a large young population dedicated to coffee. This means that many of the producers in the area are under 30 and see coffee as an ideal livelihood with which they can provide a better future for their children and future generations.
General Brewing Instructions
- Filtered water. Spring water is ideal. Removing chloride, sulfur, and iron is essential.
- A burr grinder. The more even the coffee particles, the better the coffee. Burr grinders, whether manual or electric, will do a better job than "whirly-blade" grinders. Invest in a burr grinder. Your taste buds (and coffee roaster) will thank you.
- A scale. I know using a scale can seem a bit like you're doing something you shouldn't be. Trust me, you can only brew consistently great coffee with a scale. Water and coffee are hard to measure without one.
- Clean equipment. Properly cleaning your equipment is the only way to avoid stale and rancid coffee flavors entering your cup. Please keep your equipment clean. The sooner and more often you clean your gear, the easier it will be in the long run. Add it to your ritual and thank us later.
- Delicious and freshly roasted Color Coffee
- Hario V60 02. Check out Scott Rao's video on how to brew a better pourover than your local cafe does.
- French Press. Check out James Hoffman's video on how to brew a next level cup.
- Aeropress. Check out Tim Wendelboe's video on how to brew an exceptionally easy and delicious cup.
Coffee Faq
IS YOUR COFFEE ORGANIC OR FAIR TRADE?
In many cases, yes. However, our first priority is quality and flavor. Sometimes these priorities align and our producers are certified organic and/or fair trade. We always pay well above fair trade rates (which are quite low and don’t guarantee sustainability or quality).
Often times, the producers we work with are too small to gain certifications. It’s expensive and laborious. Many of our producers are certified organic and fair trade, including many of our producers in Peru, Ethiopia, and Mexico.
WHAT IS THE BEST TIME-FRAME TO DRINK MY COFFEE?
We recommend drinking our coffee within one month of the roast date. Most of our coffees taste best however within 2 - 14 days of roast date.
For espresso, we recommend using coffee that has rested at least 7 days after roast date. This is because coffee gives off CO2 after roasting that can interfere with extraction. One way to get around this is to let your ground espresso dose sit for 30-120 minutes before pulling the shot. Email info@colorroasters.com for more questions about this.
If you are pre-grinding the coffee, we recommend drinking the coffee within one week of grinding.
CAN YOU GRIND MY COFFEE ON WEB ORDERS?
Yes, we can. Please select how you want your coffee to be ground at the time you place your order. Simply click on the arrow beside "Grind" and make your selection. If you need help choosing let us know the brewing method you will be using to prepare the coffee, in the notes of the order. And we will be happy to grind the coffee for you on our commercial grinder.
DO YOU HAVE BREW RECIPES?
These are in the works! We are compiling a bunch and even shooting some video, to help you brew like us at home.
In the meantime...go here: Pour Overs | Aeropress to get some expert advice.
MY COFFEE TASTES WEAK, WHAT'S THE PROBLEM?