Finca Nueva Linda is located in the Sierra Madre mountains of Southern Mexico in the state of Chiapas.
The farm shares a buffer with the Triunfo Biospehere reserve, a tropical cloud forest preserve of some 50,000 acres, which helps to temper a changing climate and provide rich soil and clean water. This farm has also received a Rain Forest Alliance certification.
Don Octavio Moguel Farrera started in coffee farming as a driver in another farm, from there a love to produce coffee was born. After years of effort and hard work he purchased a small farm and began his life of quality coffee production.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Mexico Finca Nueva Linda, from Tinker Coffee Company in Indianapolis, Indiana. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS:
region: Chiapas, Mexico
farm: Finca Nueva Linda
producer: Don Octavio Moguel Farrera
association: N/A
elevation: 1250 – 1550 meters above sea level
cultivars: Mundo Nova, Caturra, Catuai, Catimor
process: fully washed, patio dried
certifications: Rainforest Alliance
BREWINGSPECS:
method: Kalita Wave
grind: 18, Preciso
coffee: 32 g
water: 500 mL
bloom: 1:15
pour: 2:00 concentric pulse pour
CUPPINGNOTES:
The aroma of this Mexico Finca Nueva Linda is indicating that I’m going to have a much different experience with this cup than I have in the past with this same coffee. It’s roasty, for one thing—not overly so, but it’s there—and it’s not as bright and fruity as I’ve experienced it before; instead, this coffee is sweet (but subdued) and spicy. Lots of deep, low tones with scents of toffee, dark chocolate, cinnamon, and black pepper.
Taking my first few sips of the coffee, though, I’m surprised at how “not over-roasted” it is; it’s roasted a bit darker for sure, but it doesn’t actually taste overdone (aside from the very, very slight carbon-y astringency that lingers in the finish). What I do get is a pretty heavy, full-bodied coffee with flavors of bittersweet dark chocolate and toffee that slowly roll over the palate like molasses. There’s also somewhat juicy and zesty Meyer lemon acidity that rises over the top and streams down the center of the tongue—I predict that’s going to become much more intense as the cup cools—and it kicks up a finish of cooking spices (I think I’m tasting basil, oregano, and allspice).
As the cup cools, sure enough, that zesty lemon acidity really intensifies and further juicy fruit flavors of apple, pear, and red grape jelly bubble up from the bottom of the cup and crack through the surface. It’s sweet, it’s moderately lively, but not necessarily bright thanks to the roast’s somewhat darker profile.
Full body; juicy mouthfeel; citrus acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
A coffee that teeters on the edge of over-roasted but doesn’t fall off the cliff, I have to say that I was pretty impressed with Tinker Coffee’s take on the popular Mexico Finca Nueva Linda.
The coffee was roasted just a bit too much for my taste, but I wouldn’t even consider classifying it as “over-roasted;” rather, Tinker was just going for a different profile—a much different profile than I’ve experienced with this coffee in the past.
And they pulled it off. Solid coffee.
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.