Mexico Veracruz Mafafas

Description

Tasting Notes: Pastry, Creme, Simple Syrup

Country: Mexico | Region: Veracruz | Importer: Red Fox Coffee Merchants | Producer: Several Smallholder Producers | Processing: Washed | Altitude: 1,350–1,800 MASL | Varietal: Typica, Caturra, Costa Rica, Marsellesa, Sarchimor | Mill/Washing Station: Coatepec

Our average cupping score: 86

About the Producers

Nestled in Veracruz’s highlands, Mafafas is a cluster of small ejidos—tight communities of 30-50 people. Access requires a flight to Veracruz, then a 3.5-hour drive on mountain roads. Once a thriving coffee region, Mafafas was devastated by a frost four years ago, pushing many farmers toward livestock. Those who remained now nurture younger, pruned-back plants grown under shade.
Cherries are brought two hours to Coatepec’s processing plant. There, they go through processing using spring water, before 48-hour fermentation and 60-hour mechanical drying. Despite challenges, resilience defines Mafafas’ coffee future.

What makes this coffee stand out

Veracruz produces some of Mexico's most distinctive specialty coffees, offering unique characteristics impossible to replicate elsewhere. Veracruz, Mexico's original coffee birthplace, produces uniquely full-bodied coffees with pronounced chocolate undertones and distinctive nutty sweetness—a signature of its humid coastal mountain terroir. What truly sets this region apart is their commitment to traditional processing methods combined with innovative quality improvements, creating coffees that balance Mexico's historic coffee identity with modern specialty standards.

Pour over recipe:

Ratio: 18g coffee, 274g water | Grind: Medium-coarse | Water: 200F

0:00 60 g bloom, gentle
0:45 200 g medium height, create agitation
(just before bed dries) 274 very gentle, very slow

Target brew time 3:15

Text from Driftaway Coffee's listing.