Oaxaca (Pluma)

Oaxaca’s coffee country is the Sierra Madre del Sur, and its best-known coffee is Pluma, named after the town of Pluma Hidalgo. Grown under shade, mostly from old Typica trees and a local selection of it, washed and picked by hand over six months, Pluma became Mexico’s newest denomination of origin in 2020.

The short version

• Pluma coffee, from the Sierra Madre del Sur.
• Mostly Typica, including the local Pluma Hidalgo selection.
• Pronounced acidity, light to medium body.
• A denomination of origin since 4 February 2020, in 30 municipalities.
• Harvest from November to April, in three pickings.

What does Pluma coffee taste like?

The denomination describes a pronounced acidity and a light to medium body, Animal Gourmet reports. The newspaper Excélsior calls Pluma Hidalgo coffee internationally known for notes of dark chocolate, nutmeg and sweet spices, with an enveloping body and a long, clean finish.

Pluma coffee

The declaration protecting Pluma was published in the Diario Oficial on 4 February 2020, making it Mexico’s newest denomination of origin and its third for coffee, after Veracruz and Chiapas. It covers 30 municipalities of Oaxaca, including Pluma Hidalgo, in what is known as the Pluma region.

	Pluma
Varieties	Mainly Typica; also Bourbon, Pluma Hidalgo, Mundo Novo, Maragogype, Marsellesa, Oro Azteca, Geisha and Sarchimor
Growing	Under shade
Processing	Washed
Forms covered	Green, dried cherry, roasted, whole bean and ground
Harvest	November–April, in three pickings

Source: Animal Gourmet, on the 2020 declaration.

Pluma Hidalgo is also a variety: a local selection of Typica adapted to the microclimate of the Sierra Sur, Excélsior says.

How much coffee does Oaxaca grow?

A lot of land, but not much coffee. In 2021 Oaxaca had 134,113 hectares of coffee, the third-largest area in Mexico, but grew only 85,663 tonnes of coffee cherry, 9.1% of the national crop, SIAP’s figures show: little more than half of Puebla’s harvest from nearly twice the area. Oaxaca also grows some robusta, USDA says.

When is it harvested?

From November to April, in three stages, Animal Gourmet reports: the pepena, the first picking; the intermedia; and the arrase, the final strip. The cherries are picked by hand when they turn a deep red and are firm to the touch.

Oaxaca and other Mexican origins

• Coffee in Mexico: the whole country, its harvest and its history.
• Chiapas: Mexico’s biggest coffee state.
• Veracruz: Mexico’s first coffee denomination of origin.