4 - Finca El Encino - Mexico 2026 (Experimenta)

Nestled in Guadalupe Miramar, Santa María Yucuhiti, within the heart of the Mixteca region of Oaxaca, lies Finca El Encino. Sitting at an altitude of 1,650 meters above sea level, our small-scale estate has been dedicated to producing shade-grown coffee for over 20 years, preserving traditional management practices with an uncompromising focus on quality. Over time, I, Edgar David García García, became deeply involved in our post-harvest processing, and since 2022, I have integrated rigorous sensory analysis into our routine. My goal has been to elevate our cup profiles and develop exquisite specialty coffee lots by introducing meticulous care at every single stage of production. On our plots, we cultivate Typica, Bourbon, Sarchimor, and Marsellesa varieties, all thriving under a sustainable canopy of native shade trees. Today, we proudly process and market our harvests under our own brand, Demira Café, offering both green coffee and roasted whole beans.

The creation of this specific lot is the result of a tight-knit collaboration between myself and Efraín García López. Together, we executed the harvesting and processing steps through a highly controlled, dual-fermentation protocol. We began with a strict selective hand-picking of cherries at their peak, optimal ripeness. The fruit then underwent an initial wash to remove impurities, followed by density flotation to remove any floaters or defective beans. Next, the whole cherries were fermented traditionally inside bags for 60 hours. Once this initial stage was complete, the coffee was depulped and subjected to a second, 12-hour anaerobic fermentation in its own mucilage inside tanks. Finally, the parchment was washed thoroughly to remove all remaining mucilage and sun-dried directly on raised mesh beds for approximately ten days. Once the target moisture content was perfectly stabilized, the lot was immediately packed into hermetic bags to preserve its pristine quality.

For us, securing a place on this international stage represents the hard-earned reward of years of labor, relentless effort, and continuous learning. At a family level, it serves as a profound motivation to keep refining our craft and proves that a small estate in the Mixteca of Oaxaca is entirely capable of producing world-class, international-level coffees. For our community, this achievement brings vital visibility to the immense coffee-producing potential of our region. It allows us to share our authentic story and proudly carry the names of Guadalupe Miramar, Santa María Yucuhiti, and the Oaxacan Mixteca directly to the most discerning markets in the world.