MEXICO LOS HUEHUETONES

Recommended Retail Price: £14/250g

Tasting Notes: Juicy red berry notes cut through this coffee providing pleasant fruitiness and clean acidity, gently sweetened by mellow undertones of creamy milk chocolate.

Region: Sierra Flores de Magón, Oaxaca
Altitude: 1600 - 1900 m.a.s.l.
Variety: Typica and Bourbon
Processing: Washed

UK Arrival: October 2025

This is one of two Mexican coffees we’re roasting this year. They were both grown in Oaxaca and they’re both traditional varieties, but their flavour profiles are very different. This one exemplifies the flavour profile of a traditional washed Mexican coffee, while the other, called Tiliche, was fermented with the addition of microorganisms. As coffee processing evolves we’re curious to compare the old with the new, and appreciate both. 

The Coffee

This coffee is a regional lot grown by indigenous Mazatec people in the northern part of Oaxaca’s Sierra de Flores Magón region. It was grown in the highest part of La Mazateca, where coffee farms sit at elevations between 1,600 and 1,900 meters above sea level. The high altitude and cold climate significantly delay the harvest (February to April), compared to other regions in Mexico because the cherries take longer to ripen. Slower ripening produces sweet, floral and complex coffees. 

Farmers process their coffee up to the dry parchment stage. Typically, cherries are harvested and left to rest overnight. Sometimes, they are floated in plastic containers filled with water, and a sieve is used to filter out lower-density (unripe) cherries.The next step is pulping, which is usually done manually. The pulped beans are then dry-fermented in wooden tanks for 24 to 72 hours, depending on the cool climate and cold nights. This extended fermentation likely enhances the coffee’s flavors and qualities.The coffee is then sun-dried on patios, often on the rooftops of houses.

The Variety

Due to its altitude, the region has largely been spared from the effects of coffee leaf rust—a notorious, incurable fungal pathogen that can sweep through farms, devastating harvests. As a result, La Mazateca still maintains its historic Typica variety, which has become rare in the Americas due to its high susceptibility to rust. They also grow Bourbon, which together with Typica, makes up the parent stock of almost all cultivated coffee around the globe. 

The Region

In this region, coffee is grown within agroforestry systems where it shares land with timber and fruit trees. Farmers plant using the traditional milpa system, whereby food crops like corn, beans and squash are intercropped alongside coffee. Milpa derives from a Nahuatl word that means “field” and “corn.” These agroecosystems provide shade for coffee plants, protecting them from harsh environmental conditions. Additionally, they contribute to soil nutrition and enhance resilience against climate change.

Coffee cultivation here is largely organic, with farmers following a low-intervention approach. On average, each producer owns just one hectare of land, with yields of only two to three bags per hectare—a stark contrast to countries like Colombia, where the average is between 20 and 25 bags per hectare. It is common to find coffee trees standing two to three meters tall, some as old as 40 years, without having been renewed. Old coffee trees produce less coffee, and the low yields of most Oaxacan coffee farms are one of the main barriers to higher income.

The Exporter/Importer

Most Mazatec coffee is bought by local middlemen (coyotes), who then sell it to larger intermediaries. These bulk buyers use the raw coffee to improve mass-market blends, offering them with zero traceability. Recognizing the potential of this region, Ensambles decided to implement a direct supply chain, ensuring the purchase of higher-quality coffees. In 2021, they established our first warehouse and regional lab in Huautla de Jiménez, the main municipality of the Sierra de Flores Magón. These spaces have become bridges connecting producers with the specialty coffee world and value chain. 

The field team in Oaxaca is led by Osiris Martínez, an agricultural manager native of Huautla de Jiménez. She is responsible for organizing and training coffee growers in agricultural practices, harvest and post-harvest processing and more environmentally responsible production systems. During harvest time, the quality control team checks all lots delivered to ensure fair prices based on bean quality. They also give personalised feedback to help producers understand areas of improvements for future harvests. All these efforts aim to enhance coffee quality, position the region in modern markets, improve the livelihoods of families and secure a competitive advantage in times of climate change.

The Name

One of the many traditions of the Mazatec people is the Huehuentones dance ritual, which takes place over a week in the town of Huautla de Jiménez. It is a tribute to the dead, celebrated between October 27 and November 3.The Huehuentones are people dressed in wooden masks, vine hats and animal-skin clothing. Their attire allows the souls of the dead to come to life and celebrate with the living. These figures visit every home in the town, playing instruments and singing to honour the deceased family members. Ensambles chose to name the finest coffee from this region Huehuentonesas as a reminder that coffee comes from a vastly different part of the world—one whose culture and way of life are miles away from the Western world.