RICARDO ROMERO ROQUE - Mexico - washed

This coffee comes from Ricardo Romero Roque from his 2-acre farm in the remote Ozolotepec area of ​​San Francisco. This is our fourth year working with Ricardo and his coffee continues to impress us. It is a blend of Typica and Bourbon grown at 1800 MASL and harvested in April 2024.

Ricardo has been involved in coffee production all his life. He works with around 90 other farms from his village and neighboring villages and is very committed to getting the best prices. He achieves this not only by finding the right buyers, but also by constantly learning and improving processes to improve the quality of the coffee. This region is one of the most difficult areas in Mexico because it is a closed indigenous Zapotec community. Most people in San Francisco Ozolotepec and surrounding communities speak very little Spanish and communicate primarily in Zapotec.

The cherries are picked at peak ripeness and rest in the cherry before being destemmed. The cherries are then dry fermented for 48-72 hours. After fermentation, the kernels are washed and dried on hand-woven petate mats.

ilse was founded in 2019 with the aim of showcasing the best coffees in the world and opening people's eyes to what coffee can be. Quality coffee is what got us into specialty coffee in the first place, but the people we've met along the way are what keep us here and, more importantly, inspire and motivate us to grow.