Recently I took a trip to a coffee plantation in the Sierra Madre mountains of Oaxaca. I visited a small town named Pluma de Hidalgo (feather of Hidalgo) that has several small coffee plantations. It is  a mountainous area that sits at about 5,000 feet in elevation. Pluma is a tropical area where you can  find many big leaved plants like bananas, coconut palms and even vanilla. What a special climate  this place is, there is a touch of humidity, of warmth and every afternoon clouds roll in to give a light  sprinkling of rain. Those clouds usually clear by the evening to unveil the starry nights.

I visited a plantation named Finca Don Gabriel, but if you walk around any of the number of dirt roads  or paths you are bound to find coffee plants. This time of year (February) the coffee plants are in  bloom. They have amazing white flowers that you could mistake for jasmine if you didn’t know better.  A beautiful sweet floral frangrance. These plants are scattered amongst the tall trees, vines and varied  numbers of jungle flora. This would be considered shade grown coffee and it is the only way coffee is  grown in this region.

These small farms or fincas are renowned for their quality of coffee production and since they only  make small batch coffee it is a place you will have to visit in order to taste its grandiose. Picturesque is  the only word that comes to mind. Pluma is tucked away from any main roads, you feel like you’re in a  magical paradise. Drinking coffee, dipping in cool rivers and waterfalls, greeting lackadaisical locals and  listening to the innumerable bird songs throughout the morning and day.

At Finca Don Gabriel there was a room dedicated to the history of this area. I found it incredible to  learn about what devices have been used to grind coffee over the years. Nothing compared to our new  age electronic, hands off devices of the 21^st century. In a slow paced world, like life seems to be here, I  wouldn’t be surprised if some of these grinders are still used today. I have posted some pictures here.

I hope this brings you some inspiration with your love of coffee. The quality of life here is beyond “rich or poor” standards of the modern world. Simplicity, laughter, comradery, contact with nature, … that’s the quality here. Hope you can visit what feels like a bird’s nest in the mountains one day. Until then, support small growers, shade grown, organic, humanitarian and ecosystem friendly brews. It only generates wealth in the true sense in this world.