This coffee is a community lot from the Agua Mariposa region in Eloxochitlán de Flores Magón, Mexico, located in the Mazateca mountains at 1,600 to 1,800 meters altitude. It is a field blend of Bourbon, Caturra, and Oro Azteca varieties, processed using a washed method involving fermentation in cherry followed by wet fermentation and drying on raised beds. The flavor profile is sweet and round, featuring notes of drinking chocolate, orange, cherry, and a sweet almond finish.
Rebecca Grossman and Lucas Smith founded Ilse in 2019, starting with a thousand dollars and a rented roaster in Stamford before building out their own facility in a converted mechanic's garage in North Canaan. The approach is quality-driven: light roasts, single-producer microlots, and a commitment to buying entire harvests from the same farms year after year, some relationships now stretch back to the beginning. Pricing is transparent; each bag lists what the producer was paid, the FOB price, and Ilse's cost. Sourcing focuses on Central and South America and East Africa, with Costa Rica, Honduras, Colombia, and Ethiopia appearing regularly.
