I went to breakfast with a friend a couple of days ago and something
happened that, actually, happens all the time. Almost instantly, we
ordered an espresso for me, and an American coffee with double charge
for him. However, that day it came to our mind that every person we know
do the same thing over and over when they arrive at a restaurant or
waking up at home, even. Coffee has become an important part of our
day-by-day actions and it’s a major element of stories, chats, romance
and break ups. This scent, created in Arabia in the 15th century and
taken through all over the world by Europeans by the 17th century has
been with us in cheerful moments, such as that first date and, also, has
been a great refuge for cold and lonely days.
To tell you the truth, the subject came up rather easily, for my friend
is a real passionate expert on coffee, so he brought some information I
ignored about this grain from which Mexico has some of the best
varieties in the world, which is ironic considering the low consumption
per capita compared to other nations where the don’t even produce
coffee. How can you explain that Germany and Finland have a per capita
consumption of 7 and 12 kilograms each year, while Mexico’s consumption
barely reaches 1.3 kilograms?
Waiting the second espresso and ordering our dishes, we talked about the
varieties and places where the best ones are produced, being Brazil the
world’s most important producer, followed by Colombia, Indonesia,
Vietnam and Mexico. This caught my eye, for it means that exporting
production must have an important place in our economy and I was totally
right. Our country produces little less than 5 million bags every
coffee season and 62% of that production goes to foreign trade, which
turns back as 400 million dollars every harvest. Our coffee is enjoyed
in Belgium, Germany, Japan and Switzerland. This is possible thanks to 3
million producers from small and basic grain producers to grand
harvesters, scattered around in 56 regions of 12 states. Besides, even
when Mexico has the 9th place for output performance, is the World’s
first place in Certified Organic Grain production.
Then, how come our country’s consumption is so low? The Mexican
Association for the Production Chain of Coffee is working on that,
creating projects and regulations that allow an improvement through high
quality certification for Q Grade and Q Coffee grains, which will allow
to have exporting batches that will have main priority distribution
among the best buyers, pushing the industry forward. Also, supporting
the producers in best distribution and commercialization in Mexico,
because the global demand for coffee is expected to grow by 2% in 2010.
By the end of the morning and aware that one of my scheduled activities
was renewing my personal coffee batch, I asked for advice on varieties
and flavors in the city. I’ve always bought coffee from Chiapas and
Veracruz, based on the wide known fact that these places are where the
best coffee in Mexico is produced. Yes, I learned that the varieties
produced in Mexico are the Arabic and the Robust ones. The first one is
the one with the biggest value on national and international markets,
which is good, knowing that 96% of the coffee produced in Mexico comes
from this variety. Of course, the explanation wasn’t that simple, for
this same variety has some varieties of itself such as bourboun and
mundo novo. It has less caffeine than the robust type but it has a deep
scent and an exquisite taste. The robust type is used, mainly, for
mixing with other grains and preparing instant coffees which I tend to
stay away from. There are, obviously, other varieties produced around
the world, such as Maragogipe from Guatemala with a sweet taste and a
very intense aroma. Also, the Tarrazul grain from Costa Rica, made
famous by little coffee shops in Mexico City for some years now.
We pay the bill and say goodbye to my friend. Walking in the streets of
downtown in Mexico City, I detected the scent and went straight to one
of my favorite places for buying coffee. There I was convinced that my
knowledge was wider than before and that, beyond the classical Brazilian
coffee or a good mix of Colombian grains, the Mexican coffe has an
important place among grinders and coffee machines and, therefore, I
ordered a special mix of Mexican grains and returned home to store it
properly in the fridge.
And this was because, past the numbers talking about Mexican grains,
beyond what statistics impose us as truth, coffee has been our partner
and friend since we were children. That scent takes us to those mornings
with our parents in which that smoking beverage draw a line in the
table between the kid world and the grown up world and, at the same
time, refers us to those secure and comfortable places we long for. That
is why, when we get older, we’re still searching for that unique smell.
Even if today, in this side of the table, childhood has been left
behind and we finally understood that, indeed, every morning starts
after that sip of coffee.
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