Origin: Mexico
Region: Chiapas
Producers: Women smallholder farmers
Programme: Café Delas
Harvest: 2025/26
Species: Arabica
Varieties: Caturra, Costa Rica, Marsellesa & Typica
Altitude: 1,200–1,800 MASL
Process: Fully Washed
Fermentation: 12–17 hours
Drying: Sun dried on patios
Grade: MEX CA WA SHG
Screen: 15+
Certification: Organic Certified
Tasting Notes: Dark Chocolate, Lemon, Hazelnut & Nougat
Lot: P8003288-1
This coffee comes from the highlands of Chiapas in southern Mexico, one of the country’s most important and distinctive coffee-growing regions. Grown by a network of smallholder farmers at elevations of approximately 1,200–1,800 metres above sea level, Ki-Saya brings together traditional coffee cultivation, organic farming and careful washed processing to produce a cup that is both approachable and full of character.
A Coffee Rooted in Chiapas
Chiapas lies in the far south of Mexico, close to the border with Guatemala, and is home to dramatic mountain landscapes, rich soils and a wide range of microclimates.
The region’s higher elevations, warm days and cooler nights help coffee cherries ripen more slowly, allowing sugars and flavour compounds to develop gradually inside the fruit. These conditions are particularly well suited to high-quality Arabica coffee and contribute to the sweetness, structure and clarity found in this lot.
Coffee farming in Chiapas is largely built around small family farms, many of which have been producing coffee for generations. Coffee is often grown alongside other crops and beneath shade trees, creating a more diverse farming environment than intensive, open-sun production.
Ki-Saya
The Ki-Saya programme was created around organically grown coffee from smallholder producers in Chiapas.
The name reflects the close relationship between flavour, nature and the farming communities that produce the coffee. Rather than being the output of one large estate, Ki-Saya brings together carefully selected coffees from numerous small farms, creating a consistent regional profile while supporting a broad network of producers.
For this particular lot, the coffee has been sourced entirely from women coffee farmers participating in the Café Delas programme.
Supporting Women Coffee Producers
One of the most important aspects of this coffee is the people behind it.
This lot is produced by women-owned and women-managed smallholder coffee farms across Chiapas. Through the Café Delas programme, women are recognised directly as coffee producers and business owners and receive payment for the coffee they produce.
The programme is designed to increase the economic participation of women within coffee-producing communities while supporting improvements in farming practices, coffee quality and long-term farm sustainability.
Additional support can include training, equipment and resources that help producers improve productivity and the quality of their coffee.
For customers, this means the coffee has a story that goes beyond flavour. Purchasing this lot helps support a supply chain in which women producers have greater recognition and participation in the value created by their coffee.
Organically Grown
This coffee is certified organic, reflecting the farming practices used by the participating producers.
Organic coffee production avoids the routine use of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides and instead relies more heavily on soil management, organic inputs and careful cultivation.
In the mountainous environment of Chiapas, coffee is frequently grown amongst natural vegetation and shade trees. These systems can help protect the soil, support biodiversity and create a cooler growing environment for the coffee plants.
For this coffee, organic certification is not simply an added label; it forms part of a broader approach to producing coffee within the landscape while maintaining the health and productivity of the farms over the long term.
Arabica Varieties
This lot combines several established Arabica varieties:
Caturra, Costa Rica, Marsellesa and Typica.
Typica is one of the most historically important Arabica varieties and is valued for its clean, elegant cup character.
Caturra is widely grown throughout Latin America and is capable of producing excellent sweetness and acidity when cultivated at higher elevations.
Marsellesa and Costa Rica varieties have been selected for their suitability to local growing conditions and their ability to combine cup quality with greater resilience in the field.
Together, these varieties contribute to a coffee with good body, sweetness and balance while retaining enough acidity to create a lively and interesting cup.
How the Coffee is Processed
This coffee is processed using the fully washed method, helping create the clean and well-defined flavour profile associated with the lot.
Once the coffee cherries reach the appropriate ripeness, they are selectively harvested and brought in for processing.
The outer fruit is removed using a depulper, leaving the coffee seeds inside their protective parchment layer with a small amount of sticky fruit mucilage still attached.
The coffee is then allowed to ferment for approximately 12–17 hours.
Fermentation helps naturally break down the remaining mucilage surrounding the parchment. Once this stage is complete, the coffee is thoroughly washed with clean water.
This process removes the remaining fruit material and produces a cleaner cup profile than is typically found in naturally processed coffees.
Carefully Dried Close to Home
After washing, the parchment coffee is spread out and sun dried on small patios near the producers’ homes.
Drying is one of the most important stages in coffee processing. If coffee dries too quickly, too slowly or unevenly, quality can be lost.
Producers therefore regularly turn and monitor the parchment as it dries, helping moisture escape evenly from the beans.
Before the coffee is delivered, producers may also manually inspect the dried parchment and remove remaining pieces of dried fruit or other imperfections.
Although these steps are relatively simple, they require considerable attention and contribute directly to the cleanliness and consistency of the finished coffee.
High-Altitude Mexican Coffee
The farms contributing to this lot sit at approximately 1,200–1,800 MASL.
At these elevations, cooler temperatures slow the maturation of the coffee cherries. This longer development period can help create denser beans and allow greater complexity to develop before harvest.
The coffee is classified as Strictly High Grown, reflecting the elevations at which it is produced.
For roasters, these denser high-altitude beans often respond well to careful heat application and can offer a wide roasting window depending on the desired brew method.
In the Cup
This coffee combines a familiar chocolate-and-nut foundation with a brighter citrus character.
Expect notes of:
Dark Chocolate • Lemon • Hazelnut • Nougat
The dark chocolate and hazelnut give the coffee a smooth, rounded base, while nougat contributes a softer confectionery sweetness.
A gentle lemon-like acidity lifts the cup and adds freshness, preventing the coffee from becoming overly heavy or flat.
The result is a coffee that feels immediately approachable but still offers enough brightness and complexity to remain interesting.
A Versatile Coffee for Roasting
Ki-Saya is particularly versatile for home and commercial roasting.
A lighter to medium roast can preserve more of the lemon acidity and clarity of the washed process, making it well suited to pour-over and filter brewing.
Taking the coffee towards a medium roast will increase the chocolate, hazelnut and nougat character while maintaining enough acidity to keep the cup balanced.
For espresso, a medium to medium-dark development can produce a smooth, sweet shot with good body and plenty of chocolate-led sweetness.
It can also work extremely well as a component in a blend where a roaster wants sweetness, body and chocolate character without losing all of the coffee’s natural brightness.
A Coffee With More Behind It
Mexico Ki-Saya Organic Washed is more than simply a clean, chocolate-led Mexican coffee.
It brings together high-altitude Arabica production, certified organic farming, smallholder agriculture and coffee produced entirely by women farmers.
Careful harvesting, controlled fermentation, washing and patio drying create a coffee that is clean and balanced, while the combination of Caturra, Costa Rica, Marsellesa and Typica gives the cup both sweetness and structure.
For anyone looking for a versatile organic green coffee with a strong provenance and an approachable flavour profile, Ki-Saya offers a particularly compelling combination of quality, traceability and producer story.
Small Batch Roasting: Roast For You Service – Terms & Conditions
Introduction
Small Batch Roasting now offers a service that offers personalised coffee roasting for customers who want to enjoy freshly roasted coffee tailored to their preferences.
Roast For You Service
When you choose to have your coffee roasted for you, we will roast the exact amount ordered and roast this for you to the selected roast profile you have chosen. Our small batch roasting process ensures that your coffee is roasted with care and precision, resulting in a high-quality, freshly roasted product.
Minimum Green Weight Requirement
Please be advised that the minimum green weight for roasting any one single origin is 6kg. Any orders placed with less than 6kg of each origin will be placed on hold and may cause delays in being dispatched. We will contact you to discuss how you wish to proceed in this case.
Weight Loss During Roasting
Please be mindful of the weight loss through moisture loss during roasting, which is typically between 12-20% depending on the level of roast. The darker the roast, the higher the moisture loss. This weight loss should be taken into account when ordering your coffee to ensure you receive the desired amount of roasted coffee.
Order Processing Time
Orders for roasted coffees will naturally take a little longer to process. Please allow a minimum of 3 days for your order to arrive from the point of order. If we are able to drop your order in the roasting schedule sooner, we will always endeavor to do so.
Mixed Orders
Mixed orders which include green and roasted coffees will be dispatched together when the roasted coffees are ready. We are unable to split these orders, so please consider the slightly longer delivery times when ordering mixed coffees.
Packaging
Your coffee will be bulk packed into a 6kg bulk bag with an identifying label on only. This packaging ensures that your coffee remains fresh and protected during transit.
Roast Profile and Liability
We will roast to your desired roast profile, but are unable to take any liability for any taste discrepancies that may arise from this. We are unable to take back any coffees once they have been roasted to your desired roast profile.
Yield Estimate
Typically, a medium roast coffee at 6kg green will yield 5.1kg of freshly roasted coffee. This estimate should be taken into account when ordering your coffee to ensure you receive the desired amount of roasted coffee.
