Origin: Oaxaca, Miahuatlan, San Vicente Yogondoy, Mexico
Process: washed, 18-24 hours fermented, then dried on mats
Altitude: 1500-1700 masl
Cultivar: Pluma
Tasting Notes: Blackcurrant, Date, Praline
Best for: espresso, drip

There’s an undeniable power in traditional practices and the words chosen to represent them. Agricultural systems inevitably change over time, but there is deep wisdom locked into the soil that was shaped by the hands of generations. Ancestral knowledge is invaluable and we disregard it at our peril. While we may cower in confusion at the tremendous power & unpredictability of the natural world, our forebears rode the lightning. And it is through their methods and messages left behind that we may carve a new path into an increasingly precarious future, the blades of our plows sharpened by the edges of their erudition.

The seeds of tradition have blossomed bountifully in San Vicente Yogondoy, high on the hill of Cerro La Bruja. With a name that translates to “Hill of the Witch,” the producers who grow coffee here weather a rainy season rife with electrical storms that fill the skies above the uppermost peaks with lightning that lingers for days after the storms themselves end. One of Yogondoy’s most isolated areas, it is covered by dense forest that is passionately maintained by the producers who live in the central town and can only reach their farms by traveling several hours on foot or mule. There is a high level of plant diversity on the farms, with native Cuachepil, Cuil and avocado trees providing shade, food, ornamentation, medicine and construction materials while also aiding in water collection and enrichment of the soil. The presence of these endemic trees is naturally entwined with the farmers’ robust preservation of indigenous Zapotec traditions and language.

In Zapotec, the word Yogondoy actually means “River of Bees.” Many of the farmers keep beehives alongside their coffee for both honey and pollination. There are younger coffee trees on many of the farms that were planted in only the last 5 years, and they continue the tradition of maintaining nearly 100% of the Pluma variety. This local mutation of Typica has grown here for over 80 years and absolutely thrives in this environment. Tequio, a word from the Nahuatl language meaning “work” or “tribute,” is another flourishing tradition in the Zapotec community. This communal practice of work sharing comes into play during harvest and off-season renovations, and contributes to a robust community where many farmers are under 30 years old and there is an observable yearly increase in both yield and quality. Adherence to traditional wisdom has sown an encouraging future for coffee in this land both blessed and bewitched by the elements.