Cacalotepec is a coffee from Cafe El Zapoteco, An association of 180 coffee producing families from three towns in the Sierra Juarez, a temperate mountain range to the north of Oaxaca city.

 The association is led by Romulo Chavez. Romulo has been working for several years now to establish direct relationships with buyers in order to obtain higher prices for the producers of Cafe El Zapoteco.   

 Most members of the association are of Zapotec heritage and speak Spanish as second language after Zapoteco. There is a very strong, communal aspect to Cafe El Zapoteco across its three towns that is deeply rooted in the historical ties of the community to the region.

Café El Zapoteco produce a community blend similar to the Washed Villamaria – our most popular coffee.  This particular lot however is called Cerro del Cuervo and scores higher.

When higher scoring lots are received from the producers of El Zapoteco, they build microlots from the group. In Oaxaca, the average coffee volumes are so low that these microlots are made up from the harvest of multiple rather than single producers. 

These Zapoteco microlots go under the name Cerro del Cuervo, which is the Spanish translation of Cacalotepec, the name of the central township for the producers represented by Cafe El Zapoteco. In their local language Zapotec, Cacalotepec, and in turn, Cerro del Cuervo, translates to English as Mountain of the Raven.

In March 2024 we travelled to Mexico to learn more about this coffee and meet Romulo and the producers.  This is the latest harvest and the second year we have purchased this coffee.

Suitable for / Cafetiere, Filter, Aeropress and Espresso

Notes / Macadamia, Nectarine, Chocolate, Brown Sugar

Association / Cafe El Zapoteco

Region / Santo Domingo Cacalotepec, Sierra Juarez, Oaxaca

Altitude / 1300 - 1700 MASL

Variety / Typica, Mundo Novo, and Bourbon

Process / Washed