What is the Mariposa?
The experimental half of Origin's fifteen-year anniversary collection with the Mierisch family. Javanica variety, grown in Matagalpa between 1,315 and 1,400 metres, and processed by a cold anoxic natural: fermented without oxygen at low temperature, which Origin says is shaped to give a high level of clarity in the cup.
The published notes are cantaloupe, pineapple and chocolate, with a delicate grape acidity, a soft silky body and a short chamomile finish.
What Origin publishes that almost nobody does
Most roasters tell you a country and a tasting note. Origin prints a Transparency panel on the product page giving the price it paid the producer, how far above the Fairtrade minimum that sits, the cup score, and the year the relationship started. On this coffee that reads: $6.00 a pound FOB, 233% above the Fairtrade minimum, a cup score of 87.5, and a relationship running since 2011.
That matters because "direct trade" is otherwise an unfalsifiable claim. Anyone can print it. A price per pound and a percentage over the floor price can be argued with, which is what makes it worth something. Of the 449 coffees on this site, these are the only ones where the roaster says what the farmer was paid.
The number that stands out
233% over the Fairtrade minimum is the highest premium published by anything on this site, and $6.00 a pound is the highest price paid. It is also a fifth more than Origin paid for the Chilamate from the same family in the same season, which tells you where they think the quality is: the cup score follows at 87.5 against 86.5.
That internal consistency is the useful part. Two coffees, one producer, one year, with the price and the score moving together and both published. It is the closest thing to an audit trail a bag of coffee offers.
Mariposa vs Chilamate
Same family, same region, same elevation, different variety and a very different process. The Mariposa is Javanica and cold anoxic natural at £14.40; the Chilamate is H1 and a conventional natural at £13.75. The Mariposa scores a point higher and cost Origin a dollar a pound more.
The honest way to choose is by appetite for risk. A conventional natural is a known quantity. A cold anoxic ferment is a technique, and techniques divide people. If you have liked experimental processing before, this is the one.
Is the Mariposa worth it?
At roughly £58 a kilo it is the most expensive of the three Origin coffees reviewed here, and it is priced where a limited experimental lot from a long-standing relationship gets priced. Whether that is worth it depends entirely on whether the process interests you, because you are paying for the process.
What is not in question is the sourcing. Nothing else in this catalogue publishes as much, and the premium over the Fairtrade floor is not a small gesture.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Buy it if
Experimental processing is the reason you buy speciality coffee. You brew filter and want clarity rather than body. You want the sourcing to be checkable, and you are in the UK or ordering several bags at once.
Skip it if
You want a dependable everyday bag, because this is limited. You have disliked anoxic or carbonic-macerated coffees before. Or the £58 a kilo is simply outside what you spend on coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cold anoxic natural processing?
The cherries are fermented whole, without oxygen, at low temperature, before drying. Origin says the aim here is clarity in the cup rather than the heavy fruit a conventional natural tends toward. It is a deliberate, controlled technique rather than a happy accident.
Why is it more expensive than the Chilamate?
Origin paid $6.00 a pound for it against $5.00, and it cups a point higher at 87.5. The 65p difference at the till is smaller than the difference at the farm.
What does 233% over the Fairtrade minimum mean?
The Fairtrade system sets a floor price for green coffee. Origin paid three-and-a-third times that floor. It is the largest published premium on this site by a wide margin.
Can I buy it ground?
Yes, ground for espresso, AeroPress or filter, or whole bean. Whole bean keeps longer if you have a grinder.
