Mexico Chiapas Motozintla Microlot

High in the Sierra Madre of southern Chiapas, where Mexico meets Guatemala, sits a town the Tzotzil called Motozintla, meaning Squirrel's Hill. Coffee trees first crossed this border in 1847, carried north into volcanic soil that still shapes every cup grown here.

OriginMexico RegionMotozintla, Chiapas Elevation1,500-1,900m ProcessWashed VarietyTypica, Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai The Source

Squirrel's Hill in the Sierra Mariscal

Motozintla lies in the Sierra Mariscal corner of the Sierra Madre, pressed against the Guatemalan border and sharing the same mineral-rich volcanic soil that defines coffee on both sides of the line. The growing area sits among pine-oak forest, cedar, and ferns, with farms scattered between 1,500 and 1,900 meters. At these elevations cooler nights slow the cherries as they ripen, building the sugars that give this region its sweetness and density.

This is smallholder country. Most farmers here work plots of two hectares or less, and the microlot pulls together cherries from hundreds of individual producers across the communities surrounding Motozintla. Mexico is among the largest coffee-growing countries in the world, and Chiapas is its most important state, yet the work remains deeply local, family by family, plot by plot.

The Craft

Washed by Hand, Dried on Rooftops

Cherries are hand-picked and moved through a careful washed process, with fermentation watched closely before the parchment is rinsed clean. Light seasonal rainfall has pushed farmers to lean on what nature provides. Rather than rely on heavy mechanical drying, many spread their coffee across patios and the rooftops of their own homes, turning it by hand under the mountain sun. To understand how this method shapes the cup, see our guide to washed and natural processing.

We roast this Chiapas microlot to City+, a medium-light profile that keeps the bean's natural sweetness forward while rounding it into chocolate and nut. The goal is clarity, letting the volcanic terroir and clean washed character speak without roast smoke covering them.

Brown Sugar Caramel Milk Chocolate Almond BodyMedium AciditySoft The Cup

Sweet, Smooth, and Easy

The cup opens with sweet brown sugar and caramel, then settles into smooth milk chocolate and roasted almond. Acidity stays gentle and the body is comfortably medium, making this a forgiving, crowd-pleasing coffee that holds up morning after morning.

It is the kind of cup that rewards a quiet start to the day: balanced, sweet, and never sharp, with a clean finish that invites a second pour.

Find Your Fix

This Chiapas microlot is built for everyday brewing. A Drip batch or Chemex shows off its clean sweetness, while a V60 or Aeropress sharpens the chocolate and almond. It also pulls a smooth, low-acid Espresso. Browse our coffee beans and find your fix.

Roasted in small batches at our Virginia Beach roastery.

Packaged in reusable glass mason jars, returned locally for reuse. Solar-roasted.

Virginia Beach, VA