MEXICO Yellow Caturra NATURAL Jade Imperial
From the same innovative minds at La Joya, this Yellow Caturra Natural–Jade Imperial highlights how Samuel Ronzón and Gloria Hernández approach coffee as both farmers and scientists. Processed through a 144-hour fermentation and oxidation in GP bags, then dried over 20 days on African beds, this lot is carefully designed to balance intensity with elegance. In the cup, it’s expressive and layered, opening with a boozy depth before unfolding into the refined structure of black tea, lifted by the brightness of raspberry and lemon. Like all of La Joya’s coffees, it reflects their philosophy of pairing family heritage with scientific precision Gloria’s background in biotechnology informs every step, from fermentation to drying, while Samuel’s generational farming roots ensure connection to land and community. The result is a coffee that embodies Veracruz’s unique terroir while showcasing La Joya’s dedication to innovation, transparency, and sustainability at origin.
What's included in each experience
TAKEOUT BOX - ALL THE EXTRAS
The Takeout Box comes with:
- A 200-gram bag of coffee
- One fortune cookie or Hi-Chew
- A few stickers
- One packet of instant coffee
- One custom brewing water packet from Third Wave Water
- A detailed coffee card
JUST A BAG
This option contains:
- One 200-gram bag of coffee
- One instant coffee packet
- One detailed coffee card
1 KILO BAG
This option contains:
- One 1000-gram bag of coffee
- Two instant coffee packets
- One custom brewing water packet from Third Wave Water
- One detailed coffee card
2 KILO BAG
This option contains:
- One 2000-gram bag of coffee
- Two instant coffee packets
- One custom brewing water packet from Third Wave Water
- One detailed coffee card
Coffee Info
Location: Ixhuacán de los reyes, Veracruz
Country: Mexico
Producer: Samuel Ronzón and Gloria Hernández
Mill: Microbeneficio La Joya
Process: Natural-Jade Imperial (144 hours Fermentation/Oxidation in GP bags)
Varietal: Yellow Caturra
Harvest date: February 27th, 2025
Volume Purchased:40kg
About the farm: Natural-Jade Imperial (144 hours Fermentation/Oxidation in GP bags)
Drying time: 20 days total direct drying in African beds, 10 interrupted drying for 9 days up to 20% humidity and 6 days to finish.
Drying Temperature: 32 °C Max – 25 °C Min
Humidity: 10.6%
Density: 727 ml
Water Activity: 0.64
Stabilization: 150 days
Elevation: 1420 masl
Temperature: Annual Average Temperature is 19°C (10°C Min - 28°C Max)
Total trees: 700 plants of Pink Bourbon
Other trees: our farm is continuously designed with diversified shade provided by fruit trees (avocado, lemon, orange, macadamia, peach, passion fruit, lychee), timber trees (oak, pine, liquidambar, cedar), and other native species.
Taste Cup Profile
Boozy, Black Tea, Raspberry, Lemon
Processing Cup Effect : 8
Sweetness : 7
Acidity : 7
Clarity : 7
Aftertaste : 10
Floral : 5
Spice : 8
Internal Cup Score : 88.6
Bean: 74 Ground:112
Transparency cost
Here, we share what the producer or farm manager is comfortable with sharing, like export, milling, and pickers' pay, as it helps to know who you support. We always share at minimum Farmgate, FOB, and our cost.
N/A
FOB $20.40lb $45.00 Kilo
Farmer's % 100
Our Cost Of Green : $26.54LB / $58.52KILO
Roasted cost 9% : $28.92LB / $63.78KILO
Packaging : $1.98
Luminous Labor : $28 HOUR
Ship Dates
We pack all orders and then ship them out at 9 AM on Monday through USPS. For international orders, we use DHL, which ships at 11 AM on Monday.
Tracking information is sent to your email. For any issues, please reach out to us.
We also roast some batches on Saturday on Instagram Live, so you can tune in, ask questions, and learn about the process.
Brew Recipe Tool
Producer Q & A
How did you come into working in coffee?
La Joya was born in 2017 on land that has belonged to our family for over 50 years. Originally used for cattle grazing, we began reforesting it with native species and shifted our focus to coffee as a way to honor our roots and regenerate the ecosystem. With Samuel as a third-generation coffee producer and a strong connection to the local communities, and Gloria bringing a scientific background in biotechnology, we found in coffee the perfect balance between tradition, innovation, and sustainability. From the beginning, our goal has been to produce high-quality coffee while caring for the land and sharing knowledge.
What makes this harvest or lot different from others?
Yes—long-term relationships are at the heart of what we do at La Joya. They allow us to grow together with our partners, plan with purpose, and invest in meaningful improvements both on the farm and in our processes. We believe that consistency, transparency, and shared goals lead to better coffee and deeper impact. That’s why we value collaborations where communication, feedback, and mutual learning are part of the journey.
What would you say separates your coffee from others?
The lot you have—Lot 6—was processed using our Diamante Protocol, one of our standardized methods developed specifically for consistency, clarity, and sweetness. This process has proven to work especially well with the variety in this lot, highlighting its best attributes and creating a clean, well-structured cup. What makes it unique is not just the process itself, but the level of control and refinement we’ve achieved over multiple harvests—combining field knowledge with scientific insight to deliver a repeatable, high-quality result.
What does your day consist of managing the farm or farms?
Daily life at La Joya shifts with the seasons. During harvest, we focus on careful picking, fermentation, and processing of each lot. In other periods, we prioritize reforestation, farm maintenance, staff training, and the refinement of our protocols. Because one of our co-founders, Gloria, holds a PhD in Biotechnology, data analysis and experimental design are part of our day-to-day operations. This scientific approach allows us to understand the impact of each variable and pursue continuous improvement—from soil to cup.
What opportunities are you looking for from people who buy your coffee or work with you currently?
Our passion for coffee comes from the intersection of heritage, community, and science. It's rooted in family history—Samuel is a third-generation producer—and strengthened by a desire to give back to the land and the people around us. With Gloria’s background in biotechnology, coffee became a way to apply scientific knowledge to a living system, transforming traditional practices into intentional, traceable processes. That blend of legacy and innovation is what fuels everything we do.
Where does your sense of passion for coffee come from?
Each harvest at La Joya is shaped by intentional fermentation protocols and ongoing experimentation. This year, we introduced new processes using selected lactic acid bacteria to enhance sweetness, clarity, and complexity in the cup. Every lot reflects the synergy between variety, microclimate, and microbial dynamics. What sets this harvest apart is the level of control, documentation, and purpose behind each step—making it not just a coffee, but the result of a designed process backed by science. The lot you have—Lot 6—was processed using our Diamante Protocol, one of our standardized methods developed specifically for consistency, clarity, and sweetness. This process has proven to work especially well with the variety in this lot, highlighting its best attributes and creating a clean, well-structured cup. What makes it unique is not just the process itself, but the level of control and refinement we’ve achieved over multiple harvests—combining field knowledge with scientific insight to deliver a repeatable, high-quality result.
Are you looking to grow relationships with long-term partners?
Every lot is the outcome of intentional decisions, documented protocols, and a commitment to continuous improvement. We don’t just produce coffee—we study it, adapt it, and refine it, always with the goal of delivering quality that reflects both place and purpose. What truly sets us apart is that our work goes beyond the farm. We generate scientific data that is being published and shared, with the intention of making this knowledge accessible to other producers. Our aim is not only to improve our own coffees, but to contribute to a broader transformation in how coffee is understood and processed at origin..
Feel free to share anything on your mind about the industry or yourself. We sell not just to consumers but to the industry, which often looks at what we buy and tries to buy it too, benefiting everyone.
At La Joya, we believe producers have so much more to offer than just raw material—we are thinkers, innovators, and caretakers of land and culture. There’s immense value at origin, and it deserves to be acknowledged, respected, and included in the conversations that shape the future of coffee. We see great potential in building bridges between science and practice, between producers and buyers who want to go deeper. Sharing knowledge, not just coffee, is how we all grow. We’re grateful to work with people who believe in this collective movement—where good coffee means impact, transparency, and transformation.