Oaxaca is dreamy. It is a place out of time, on the ley lines of something potent. Life here is more saturated. The veil is thin. The coffees from Oaxaca are incredibly sweet, and the region has deeply rooted and highly influential foodways and traditions. 2018 is Revelator’s first year incorporating Mexico as a staple origin on our menu, and I decided to focus our purchasing efforts in Oaxaca.

Revelator's Director of Coffee Ops, Cameron Heath, and our Director of Education, Eden-Marie Abramowicz, step you through the French Press. This traditional brewing method is straightforward and easy, and produces a robust, full-bodied cup. Follow along for tips, tricks, and a couple jokes.

Each year, thousands of coffee lots are submitted for consideration at the Cup of Excellence, an international competition for high quality coffees. The coffees are rigorously vetted, and winning coffees are sold in global auctions at premium prices, with the vast majority of auction proceeds going to the farmers.  

The Mierisch Family has been farming coffee for five generations. Erwin Senior, the family patriarch, aka “El Doctor,” is a third generation farmer. Don Erwin oversees the business at large, and contributes to agronomic development and innovation at the farm level. Eleane, his eldest daughter, now oversees quality control, mill operations, client relations and sales. Eleane’s older brother, and eldest child of the bunch (also Erwin) has also contributed greatly to the development of the family business, and was heavily involved in Cup of Excellence in its early years, as is Eleane today. The Mierisch family runs a tight ship,...