cha
seed. Of this species is the Oaxaca coffee, which is valued because of
its sharp acidity and excellent flavor, two qualities that make it
desirable for blending. The bean of the Sierra Oaxaca (common unwashed)
is not large, nor is the appearance stylish. The Pluma Oaxaca (washed)
coffee, however, is a fancy bean and good for blending purposes.

Coatepec coffees are among the finest grown in Mexico, and take rank
with the world's best grades. They are quite acidy, but have a desirable
flavor; and when blended with coffees like Bourbon Santos, make a
satisfactory cup.

The Orizaba, Huatusco, and Jalapa growths resemble Coatepecs, of which
they are neighbors in the state of Vera Cruz. They are thin in body but
are stylish roasters, and have a good cup qualities. As a class they do
not possess the heavy body and acidity of genuine Coatepecs. Some
Huatuscos are exceptions. Orizaba is superior to Jalapa. Chiapas and
Tapachula coffees are generally more like Guatemalan growths than any
others produced in Mexico, which is natural in view of the proximity of
the districts to the northern boundary of Guatemala. The Sierra,
Tampico, Tabasco, and Coatzacoalcos coffees are uncertain in quality;
mostly they are low grade, some of them frequently possessing a groundy,
flat, or Rioy flavor.

[Illustration: _Mild Coffee Map--No. 1_

_Showing the Mild Coffee-Producing Countries of the Western Hemisphere_

Copyright 1922 by The Tea and Coffee Trade Journal Co.]

Cordoba coffees lack the acidity and tang of the Oaxacas, but make a
handsome roast. They are considered too neutral to form the basis of a
blend, but can be used to balance the tang of other grades.

CENTRAL AMERICANS. Central American coffee is the general trade name
applied to the growths produced in Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador,
Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, the countries comprising Central
America.

GUATEMALA. This country sends the largest quantity to the United States,
and also produces the best average grades of the Central American
districts. Guatemalas are mostly washed and are very stylish. The bean
has a waxy, bluish color. It splits open when roasting and shows a white
center. Low-grown Guatemalas are thin in the cup, but the coffees grown
in the mountainous districts of Coban and Antigua are quite acidy and
heavy in body. Some Cobans border on bitterness because of the extreme
acidity. The Antiguas are medium, flinty beans; while Cobans are larger.