01/08/2026
The Premium Origin of the Quarter for 1st QTR 2026
Mexico Finca Fatima Natural
First things first - this coffee earned a cup score of 88.5, making it the highest-scoring coffees we've ever brought you in our five-year history. It might surprise you that our top scoring coffee comes from Mexico, but here we are. We're proud to bring you another excellent premium coffee. Now let me tell you how the farmers did it.
The Farmers
Ernesto Perez and his sister, Givette Perez Orea, are third-generation coffee farmers. Their family has been growing coffee on Finca Fatima (finca means "farm" in Spanish) for almost 100 years. Let's face it - nobody does something for a century without getting really, really good at it.
Their 49-acre farm is in Coatepec, Veracruz, which is Mexico's oldest and most historic coffee-growing region. Arabica coffee trees were first introduced here in the late 1700s by a Spaniard named Juan Antonio Garcia. The farm sits at about 4,100 feet above sea level and is dedicated to cultivating premium lots of Criolla, Typica, and Geisha varietals, among others. They achieve these premium lots by focusing on careful farming practices and innovative processing methods.
Seed-To-Cup
Here's the twist - Ernesto and Givette are also coffee roasters, which sets them apart from most coffee farmers. Every single decision this brother-sister team makes on the farm is made with the unique ability to taste what they've grown and roasted. In essence, no coffee leaves their farm without them knowing, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that it's of the highest quality.
Finca Fatima is special in another way too - biodiversity. They also produce honey, grow and maintain citrus groves, and offer agrotourism experiences. Visitors to the farm see firsthand what careful, sustainable farming practices do for the quality of coffee this farm produces.
The Coffee
Most of Finca Fatima's lots are washed process, but this one is different. This lot was processed naturally, where the beans are dried in the cherry. The natural process allows the cherry's sugars to infuse the beans during fermentation and drying. The final cup is complex and layered, with standout fruity character. While sipping this gem, you may catch notes of strawberry, tropical fruit, cane sugar, and lemon.
