La Cañada Tejao

Tejao is the original name for Huautla de Jimenez: a town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, north of the La Cañada Region.

Traditionally, despite coffee being the main agricultural product of this region, the yields have been low, and crops have often been sold to the commodity market. However, recent investment in the area from projects like Ensambles sees an increased focus on speciality coffee. It is fully washed and mainly organic in this region, although not certified as such.

Most farms feature shade-grown coffee. There is also a culture of minimal intervention in this area, meaning producers tend to refrain from pruning the Typica plants, often resulting in 2-3 metre high coffee trees, in some cases 40 years old! Typica is a varietal that often suffers from Leaf Rust. Due to the altitude of this region, the coffee crops have not been suffering from it.

Cherries spend in fermentation tank for 24-48 hours.

Because of the lower temperatures overnight in this region, drying coffee takes longer, so many producers often have to move coffee from outdoor drying patios to indoors overnight. The colder climate and later harvest mean the coffee cherries have a longer, slower maturation period, often resulting in a sweeter, more complex cup.

• Farm/Mill: Tejao, Ensamples
• Region: La Cañada, Oaxaca
• Variety: Typica
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1500 - 1900 masl
• Harvest Date: January 2022
• Roast Date: November 2022