Red 5 San Juan (Mexico)

The Red 5 de Diciembre is from the La Cañada region of Oaxaca, Mexico—specifically smallholder farmers around San Juan Coatzospam in the Mazatec highlands. The group formed on December 5, 2014, when coffee leaf rust (La Roya) wiped out a lot of production and scared off buyers. Thirteen community groups came together to organize roughly 1,300 indigenous producers, pool resources, improve selective picking, and rebuild. They work under the Reflejo cooperative, got organic certification, and started partnering with specialty exporters so the better lots could actually reach better markets. This bag is washed organic green coffee from the 2025/2026 crop, grown under shade in the cloud forests at roughly 1,200–1,750 meters.

They hand-pick ripe cherries, float and pulp them, ferment around 24–36 hours, then wash and dry the parchment. It’s USDA Organic certified. Varieties are mostly traditional ones like Typica, Bourbon, and Caturra that do well at those elevations in the volcanic, high-rainfall terrain of the Sierra Mazateca.

In the cup we got honey sweetness, bergamot (that floral citrusy oil from the rind of an orange), and cocoa powder. Clean and balanced for a Mexican washed, with the honey carrying the mid-palate, the bergamot adding a bright aromatic lift, and the cocoa powder giving it a soft, dry finish. Medium body and smooth texture.