Quality in varieties of organic coffee in three regions of Mexico

Amongst the important options to help coffee growers to face the constant crisis are both an organic production system and quality improvement. In this work, sensorial and physical qualities of 17 coffee varieties grown under organic conditions since 1998 were evaluated in experimental areas of the states of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Puebla. From August 2004 to March 2005, agroecological variables were collected, and ripe fruits were harvested and treated through a wet process. As per physical evaluation, a specialist board evaluated green coffee and carried out sensorial analysis of the beverage. The Blue Mountain variety was better evaluated in terms of agroindustrial yields, grain shape, grain size and cup tasting. Resistant varieties to Hemileia vastatrix such as Costa Rica and Colombia yielded more unwanted cups, which were especially astringents. Sensorial attributes such as fragrance, aroma, and after taste are given to all varieties in this piece of research. It is concluded that varietal factors influence the physical and sensorial characteristics of the coffee grown under organic management.