Sierra Sur de Oaxaca Coffee Beans

World Coffee Bean Tour is fueled today by ATLAS Coffee Club—your passport to global brews, minus the jet lag (or, in our case, the prop wash). Why settle for ordinary when you can sip the world’s best, one adventurous cup at a time? Side effects may include spontaneous wanderlust, unsolicited coffee trivia, and a sudden urge to describe everything as “earthy with citrus undertones.”

Today, I, Doña Lupita Martínez—retired coffee farmer, proud Zapoteca, and known by my grandchildren as “Abuela of the Beans”—had the honor of serving as guest log writer from the ground while Cropduster soared above Oaxaca in his roaring Corsair, Poa. From the apron of MMOX, I watched the little blue plane lift into the morning sky, circling the ancient terraces of Monte Albán where my ancestors once watched over these valleys. As Cropduster’s voice crackled over the radio, I told him stories from my own childhood: waking before dawn to pick Typica and Pluma beans in the misty Sierra Sur, singing the old songs with my sisters as we worked, and learning from my mother how to roast beans until the kitchen filled with the scent of chocolate and orange peel.

While he traced the green folds of the Sierra, I brewed a pot of our family’s coffee—rich, smooth, with the taste of pear, honey, and a hint of marmalade, just as it should be. When the Corsair finally touched down and Cropduster strode across the tarmac, I handed him a steaming cup and we stood together, gazing at Monte Albán’s pyramids against the sunset. “Cada taza es un pedacito de Oaxaca,” I told him—each cup is a little piece of Oaxaca. But our adventure did not end there. With appetites awakened by altitude and aroma, we made our way to “La Olla de Fideos,” a tiny ramen shop tucked in a side street of Oaxaca. There, we slurped bowls of fideos in smoky broth, brightened with hoja santa and a swirl of mole, topped with roasted corn, squash blossoms, and a soft egg marinated in local chiles. As we laughed and shared stories over noodles, I realized that the flavors of Oaxaca—like its coffee and its people—are best enjoyed together, with an open heart and a curious spirit.Read more