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Best Mexican Coffee Brands
About Mexican coffee and choosing the right one for you.
Published March 10, 2022
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Erik Hedlund
Coffee experts@The Coffee Lab
Mexican coffee is less about a certain bean or a roast type, and more about the experience that you get when you drink the coffee from this country. In Mexico, it’s not uncommon for sugar, cinnamon, and other flavors to be incorporated into the brewing process rather than added after the coffee is brewed. This results in a coffee that is smooth, complex, and has a little bit of spice.
What is Mexican Coffee?
Mexican coffee is a rich way of enjoying coffee, and it can sometimes be a little bit intimidating for those who are not used to it. But the good news is that with the right coffee beans, it’s easier than you might think to be able to incorporate the best Mexican coffee that you have tasted on vacation or at your favorite restaurant.
Finding the Best Mexican Coffee Brand
If you want to start buying and drinking Mexican coffee brands at home, then there are several things to keep in mind to help you choose the perfect option for you. Some of the main factors to consider before you buy Mexican coffee brands include:
Roast
The best Mexican brands of coffee are usually medium roasts. When it comes to the best coffee brands in Mexico, there is usually a happy medium between a complex light roast and a more robust dark roast. Most of the best Latin coffee brands that are served at the best coffee shops Mexico City tend to be medium roasts. This is because medium roasts will usually work better with sugar and spices that are often added to Mexican coffee. Spices and sugar complement a medium roast better, balancing out the flavor and producing a smooth and delicious brew. If you’re looking for coffee and find one that is marketed as Mexican but not a medium roast, it probably isn’t worth considering.
Beans Vs Grounds
When buying any type of coffee, one of the most important decisions to make is whether you will buy whole bean coffee or pre-ground coffee. Pre-ground coffee might be a better option for some when it comes to making Mexican coffee since it’s better at hitting flavor notes. This is because with Mexican coffee, the flavor is added after the grinding process, and is mixed into the pre-ground coffee beans. However, the beans can also be flavored before grinding, so that the complexities are present once you grind them. The main advantage of buying whole beans rather than pre-ground coffee is that this allows you to keep your coffee beans fresher for longer.
Flavor Profile
A medium roasted coffee blended with various spices is what makes a coffee Mexican. Often, Mexican coffee is associated with brewing coffee with sugar and cinnamon in there with the coffee beans, but some of the best Latin coffee brands also include other flavors such as hazelnut, making them more complex. When shopping for Mexican coffee, it’s not just important to look for coffee beans that have been grown in Mexico, but also the all the right flavors of Mexican coffee have been incorporated.
Brewing Method
Unlike other specialty coffee types, you can find lots of great Mexican coffee options available to use with a variety of different brewing types. While most pre-ground Mexican coffees are intended to be used with a drip coffee maker, if you get whole beans, you can get good Mexican coffee using any brewing method that you like.
Best Mexican Coffee Brands
Now that you know a little bit more about the main things to look out for when buying Mexican coffee, here are some of the top 10 coffee brands from Mexico to consider.
Van Houtte Mexico Coffee
Keurig coffee makers are a popular way of making coffee these days, and if you use one at home, this Mexican coffee brand could be an ideal choice for you. The Van Houtte Mexican Coffee K-cup by Green Mountain is very tasty, and also convenient to brew in your Keurig brewer. If you use this coffee machine already and want Mexican coffee, this is a great option with great flavor. However, on the downside, they’re not really much use to you if you do not have a Keurig coffee maker, and you will probably find that buying pre-ground coffee or whole beans from another brand is better value.
Café Bustelo Mexican Instant Coffee
For an instant coffee Mexican option, Café Bustelo Mexican style might be worth considering. It is definitely a convenient, fast way of making Mexican coffee without the need for you to have any special coffee machines or equipment. However, on the downside, it is not very flavorful and the coffee itself can be a little bit disappointing without much mouthfeel or body. It can be a great option if you are traveling, camping, or just need a quick cup of coffee, but doesn’t have the same aromas and flavors you’d expect from freshly ground and brewed coffee.
Dancing Moon Organic Mexican Coffee
With the Mexican coffee market being fairly crowded, some products are going to deliver great results while others are more likely to fall by the wayside, which is, unfortunately, the case for this dark roast, whole bean coffee from Dancing Moon. However, despite being a dark roast which is unusual for Mexican coffee beans, this option is worth trying as it’s smooth. If you like the idea of a coffee roast that is dark and robust but not as in-your-face compared to others, this product might be an ideal choice for you. It’s also a whole bean product, which puts you firmly in control of how you grind it. On the downside, however, it is one of the more expensive Mexican coffee products.
French Roasted Coffee Organic Mexican
To make this into proper Mexican coffee, it needs a little bit of sugar – and then add some more, to balance out the sour taste. This coffee is certified coffee bean organic Mexico, and a little bit more expensive in comparison to others. However, you can definitely tell that this is a Mexican coffee. It is dark and bold with hints of spices and chocolate. It’s sold in whole beans so that it stays fresh for longer.
Lacas Organic Mexican Dark Coffee
If you are looking for decaf Mexican coffee, this option from Lacas might be ideal for you with great flavor and an ideal tone for making into a traditional Mexican coffee drink if you add sugar and cinnamon during the brewing process. With notes of chocolate and cherry, this coffee tastes great and can be made more Mexican with sugar and cinnamon or brewed as is for a tasty decaf drink.
Café De Olla Mexican Ground Coffee
Café de Olla Mexico City is a great option if you are looking for the best Mexican coffee to make at home. It is one of the most popular Mexican brands and you can also find Café de Olla Keurig K Cups if you are interested in making Hispanic coffee in your Keurig machine. Their ground coffee option stands out as having the most flavor, and also comes with added convenience. This blend of spices and medium roast coffee has the perfect texture and flavor.
Coffee Bean Direct Organic Decaf Mexican City Roast
Another option to consider if you are looking for the best Mexican brands for decaf coffee is these beans from Coffee Bean Direct. Buying decaf coffee can sometimes be tricky as the process of removing the caffeine from the coffee involves heating the coffee beans twice, usually with chemicals. This results in coffee that can be more bitter and have less flavor. These beans are decaffeinated using the Swiss water processing method that does not involve any chemicals, leaving it fairly strong, smooth, and bitterness-free. It offers good, consistent flavor and is great value.
New Mexico Pinon Coffee
These coffee beans from New Mexico offer hints of chocolate and cinnamon spice that are essential for the best Mexican coffee. This option in particular has an exotic and superior flavor that works very well with a medium roast. While this company used to use pinon nuts to flavor the coffee, the practice has been discontinued over time due to scarcity issues. While this might be very noticeable for long-time customers who are going to taste the difference between the past and present coffee, don’t worry too much about it if you are new to Mexican coffee since Pinon coffee Walmart still tastes great.
Volcanica Organic Mexican
This Mexican coffee from Volcanica is one of the best options. Along with being very tasty, it’s certified Fair Trade and Organic too. The delicious blend of medium roasted beans and flavors also includes hazelnut notes, and the coffee is delicious either on its own or with milk or creamer. You can get whole beans or pre-ground coffee available in three different grind sizes depending on the brewing method that you prefer to use.
Spicy and sweet, Mexicano coffee is more about what’s added than the type of beans used. Medium roast works best, and you can use any brewing method that you prefer.
About the author
Erik Hedlund
With Era of We and The Coffee Lab, I hope to share knowledge, increase the value of coffee – and secure the future of coffee.
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