The origin of coffee.

There are two myths about coffee in Mexico. One says that it was brought by the Spaniards as a tree in the Caravels that the conquerors used to arrive in Mexico. The other says that the seeds were brought by the black slaves from Africa. Whatever the myth is, we have and enjoy the original coffee, the Arabic Original. The ‘Arabic original’ is the name given to the first coffee that arrived in Mexico.

Here in the south few things have changed in the past five centuries, and coffee is one of them. We have had the same coffee that arrived centuries ago. For some this is bad, for me, this is something good. I taste the real coffee, one that hasn’t been manipulated like the ones that are planted and grown in other countries such as Brazil or Colombia.

Plus. in my family coffee is still processed traditionally as in the old times.

Mode of Process:

Seeds are cleaned before being toasted. Then the seeds are toasted in a clay comal. (A round piece of clay). The process of toasting is slow with a slow fire, so it takes almost an hour to get the right colour. Not brown not black, something in the middle. If it is brown you don’t get the perfect flavour, it is too black it gets a burnt smell and taste. That’s why the process of toasting is the most critical if you want to have a really good coffee.

Grinding is the last step. Here also the grinding is in some way critical. The coffee should not be too pounded nor too grainy. If it is too pounded the perfumed smell fades away too soon and coffee has to be kept for a period of time. If it is too grainy the taste and smell doesn’t release quite enough.
In conclusion enjoying a real coffee is hard work. The clay comal and the hand mill are the two main tools to have a good coffee and a beautiful day .