MEXICO RAFAEL SOLIS

processing: washed  variety: typica, yellow bourbon  elevation: 1,600m

location: Triunfo Verde Biosphere Reserve, Chiapas

tasting notes: cactus fruit, plum, green grape, cacao, and baking spice

Long before Rafael Solis was growing the towering typica and yellow bourbon varieties surrounding his home in the Triunfo Verde Biosphere Reserve, he was a trail guide and steward who led tourists through this protected land. That deep familiarity shows — he moves through his acres like it's in his blood, and every plant, from the lemon trees to the coffee, thrives under a dense canopy of shade.

The coffee cherries here are harvested, washed, and dried by hand with water pumped from the river. The closest road is a three-mile hike, so the coffee goes out by donkey and motorbike. It's a labor of love that requires more physical work than almost any farm we've visited, and the cup reflects it: balanced and structured, with cactus fruit, plum, green grape, cacao, and a warm thread of baking spice.

Rafael Solis brings together two classic Mexican varietals—Typica and Yellow Bourbon—from the highland Chiapas region. Processed via the washed method, which emphasizes clarity and origin character, this coffee balances stone fruit and subtle spice. The roaster identifies cactus fruit and plum alongside green grape and lemon, anchored by cacao and baking spice—a profile suggesting both brightness and body. Grown at 1600 meters, the lot captures the complexity that Chiapas coffees are known for, where elevation and careful processing can reveal layered sweetness alongside crisp acidity. Four Barrel Coffee offers this as a lens into how traditional varietals and washed processing express themselves in Mexico's premier coffee region.