Rare & Unique Series : Enrique Lopez | Finca Chelín | Mexico

More about Finca Chelín and Enrique Lopez:

Enrique is a third generation coffee producers from Sierra Sur area of Oaxaca region, Mexico. Enrique’s farm Finca Chelín is renowned for his high-quality lots, ranging is multitudes of experimentational ferments of high value and quality varietals. Enrique is highly influential in Oaxaca, and delivers educational training, talks, and access to buyers for other producers in the region.

Enrique explains that the skill to be able to cup - taste and assess his coffees for positive and negative attributes has greatly improved his abilities as a coffee grower. He enjoys experimenting and designing new processing methods. He says that the growing conditions in the origin and the particular variety of the coffee plant is responsible for about 80% of the flavour in the cup. The remaining 20% he believes to be the producer’s input during harvest and post-harvest processing.

Enrique has a keen eye for detail and an incredible drive and passion to push boundaries and open up posibilities for coffee producers. And to do so in a way that is kind to the environment. Enrique is keen to produce coffee in a way that protects the environment for future generations. At Finca Chelín no pesticides are used however, in recent years some fertiliser had to be applied in the fields to promote good yields. The coffee trees are grown under a canopy of shade trees that provide a natural habitat for many native animals.

We are incredibly excited to be roasting and sharing coffee from Finca Chelín once again, for the third season running. This year we have secured two very limited lots:
“Black honey” processed Gesha variety and a fully washed processed Candelaria hybrid variety - Enrique’s own cross of Gesha plants grafted onto Colombia variety rootstock.

Enrique’s “Black Honey” process explained:

This particular lot was selected from the elegant Gesha trees planted at Finca Chelín and processed according to the following protocol as designed by Enrique.

About the process:

1. Cherries are picked very ripe - dark red, almost purple.

2. After the day’s picking is complete, the cherries are washed and floaters (under-ripes) are removed and de-pulped in the morning (roughly 40 hours of rest).

3. Once de-pulped, the coffee is spread out to dry on patio outside the farm house, lined with mesh, just as the other honeys at Chelín. For the first 2 days under direct sun and then under shade to ensure slower even drying until desired moisture content is reached.

Enrique’s “Candelaria” variety:

This particular lot is, as Enrique explains a unique genetic material from the farm Chelin. The hybrid was created using the rootstock of Colombia variety, a hybrid bred in Colombia for resistance to leaf rust and increased productivity, and a the highly prized Gesha plants, known for their complex, sweet and floral character.

The Candelaria hybrid creation process:

1. 10x Gesha seedlings were grated onto the rootstock of Colombia.

2. These 10 plants were then planted in the farm and after 3 years produced their first cherries from which the team were able to obtain seeds.

3. These seeds were then used to propagate the variety and plant further 150 plants and this lot is now the first harvest.