ICON 22 – El Equimite Natural Gesha - Birthday Sale!!!

The first ICON coffee from Mexico is a banger! It’s clear to see why Geshas from Gibran Cervantes’ farm have done so well in the Cup of Excellence Mexico competition for the last two years. Grown in a certified biodynamic system and carefully processed, this coffee delivers what you expect from a great Gesha; loads of sparkling citrus, red fruits and floral notes with a syrupy sweetness.

PRODUCER: Gibran Cervantes
CULTIVAR: Gesha
PREPARATION Natural
LOCATION: El Equimite, Coatepec, Veracruz, Mexico
ALTITUDE: 1,300 masl
BAG SIZE: 150g

El Equimite is named after an endemic tree which can be found growing on the farm along with many other species of trees, medicinal plants and epiphytes - a plant that grows on another plant, such as bromeliads, and orchids growing on tree trunks in tropical rainforests. The farm is situated in Veracruz, located between the Gulf of Mexico and Cofre del Perote National Park, a mountain and volcano range peaking at 4,282 masl. Given this geographical location, the region is known for its unique micro climate called bosque mesófilo, which translates to cloud forest. The region has many days of mist and cool temperatures, which has always made it ideal for arabica production. However this micro climate is endangered now because of urban sprawl, agriculture abandonment, and climate change.

Gibran Cervantes bought El Equimite in 2012 and transitioned from a conventional farming model (shadeless and chemical inputs) to organic farming and then biodynamic. It’s been Demeter certified since 2017. There are only 2 Demeter certified coffee farms in Mexico, and less than 10 in all Latin America.

The pillar of the biodynamic philosophy is to consider a farm as an autonomous self-sufficient environment, which means a farm should be able to produce all the resources it needs to thrive. Nutrition is based on soil analysis, compost, worm compost, bioles, nitrogen fixing plants, plant diversity, and biodynamic recipes, per Steiner’s guidelines. Pest control is achieved through good nutrition, diversity, pruning and renovation. El Equimite successfully applies a permaculture technique for water distribution called the key-line. The key word at El Equimite is SOIL. Everything they do aims to make the soil healthy, full of living micro-organisms who will provide all the nutrients required for the plants to grow.

Of the 32 hectares at El Equimite, 12 hectares are for culture in agroforestry, and 20 hectares are dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the ecosystem. In the cultivation part of the farm, they are experimenting with 13 different cultivars of coffee including Gesha, Bourbon Rosado, Bourbon Rojo, SL28, Typica, Garnica, Caturra, Anacafe 14 and Obata.

The processing is carried on at the farm and the team is experimenting with many types of fermentations and process. Their Exporter’s lab is in also on the farm and they are mapping out the cup quality according to variety and process. Those results in addition to agronomic information will determine what varieties are best suited for El Equimite’s ecosystem.
Such care and attention to detail have earned lots from El Equimite 12th place at Cup of Excellence Mexico 2021 and 7th place in 2022.