Discovering San Cristobal De Las Casas Mexico In Search Of The Best Cup Of Coffee And A Shot Of Magic

San Cristobal De Las Casas is a beautiful mountain town in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, founded in 1528. With an elevation of 7,218 feet (2200 meters), it's cooler climate is a welcome breath of fresh air from the tropical weather of Cancun, where I currently live.

I'll be staying here for about 10-days to explore the area once again. This is my 4th time visiting here and I absolutely love it. The weather may be cooler but the people are as warm as can be, sharing their jovial hospitality with visitors from around the world.

The city and municipality are located in a region called the Central Highlands. Two-thirds of the municipality is made up of mountainous terrain with the rest valley floor.

The natural vegetation of the area is a forest of pine and oak trees which you can smell burning in the fireplaces of the cozy, tile-roofed houses that dot the hillsides. The mixture of fires burning and home-cooked meals cooking is intoxicating to the senses, inviting you to cozy up to a fire with a cup of hot chocolate or locally-grown coffee.

Coffee is one of the main crops grown here which they export around the world and is the most delicious coffee I've ever tasted. I've sampled some amazing coffee in my adventurous life but this place is the best I've ever had for sure.

Coffee just doesn't get any better than this

All the coffee growers here have formed a grower's co-op of around 1500 growers who practice sustainable farming practices and sell to fair trade organizations, so the land is respected and cared for as well as the farmers. Something about that seems to make the delicious cup of coffee you're drinking just that much more enjoyable.

The flavor of the coffee here is beyond description. It doesn't just wake you up when you drink it. It feels like it's healing your very soul and filling you with the authentic culture that grew it with every sip. Calling it a magical cup doesn't do it justice. More accurately would be to say it is an ambrosia pouring divinity past your lips.

I haven't had a chance to try the chocolate here yet, another plant famously grown in the region, as I have not gotten over my excitement for the coffee, but the aromas have lured me walking past the many chocolate brewers and bakeries filling the air with its spell.

I arrived a couple days ago and checked into a beautiful hacienda called Diego Mazariegos and if you click this link you can see some pics (no affiliate links). The room is cozy with a fireplace and stunning views, the staff is above and beyond helpful, the location is in the heart of all the nightlife and insulated from the noise. You can hear your heartbeat under the warm and silky smooth sheets and wool blankets accompanied by the sounds of burning pine in the fireplace.

Not long after arriving I found the local hangout spot La Viña de Bacco and indulged in a local concoction named Pox (pronounced Posh).

"Pox" is a liquor commonly used for ceremonial purposes among the Mayan of Mexico and Central America. "Pox" is a liquor made of corn, sugar cane, and wheat, very important in mayan culture for its ceremonial uses and is also known as aguardiente. Besides its religious significance, it is also a somewhat popular alcoholic drink in the Chiapas region of Southern Mexico. The word "pox" in Tzotzil means "medicine, cane liquor, cure." Pox was commonly used in religious ceremonies and festivals in San Juan Chamula, Chiapas, but increasingly soda has been substituted for it. Wikipedia

The effect is to feel very awake, but also very calm. The mouthfeel is that of sweet corn, soft and full. The corn continues on the palate, fairly crisp with a few hints of wildflowers mixed in. It has nice lingering burn which matures into more of that sweet corn taste. There’s a magical essence to the mix with a lingering taste of corn and herbal flowers.

Ancient pox was said to reveal the invisible bonds between all individuals, whom the Maya believed were all part of one single, giant organism. “[Mayan people] had a saying: ‘In Lak'Ech - Hala Ken’ which means ‘I'm another you, you are another me”

“This is still used in some communities as a day-to-day greeting, but especially when drinking pox. Instead of saying ‘¡Salud!,’ one would raise their glass and say ‘In Lak'Ech’ and then your reply while you raise your glass would be ‘Hala Ken.’” Source

I'm not sure if I was ready to visit the underworld but its effects were certainly felt as a natural speedball, simultaneously feeling calm and alert. Very similar to the feeling experienced when drinking Kava Kava in Bali, but it tastes much better and is much stronger due to the alcohol content.

This place came to life as the night, and the drinks, progressed and I could feel the medicinal qualities of the Pox taking full effect. Each round poured was accompanied by a small dish of delicious treats called Tapas, free little dishes of heaven to keep you drinking while delighting your taste buds.

The jovial, well-equipped bar is full of character and art curios that pour out from every wall and into the street as fluidly as the drinks, Well into my 4th round a 9-piece Latin Salsa band named Cucha Cucha set up along the sidewalk opposite the outdoor tables and began to play an infectious Latin groove that had everyone, including passersby, dancing in the streets well into the night. You just had to stay once they showed up. I mean where else could you possibly need to be when everything you need for a good time is right here?

The video of the 9-piece Latin Salsa band Cucha Cucha was just setting up in the street. By the time the streets were full of party-goers dancing I was too drunk to make videos

Living in Mexico is a great way to learn Spanish which I've discovered gets more fluent the more Tequila I drink. I like to say I can speak fluent Tequilish, the easiest language on earth to learn. Pox, I'm happy to report, is equally effective at improving your Spanish and before long I was having conversations with the talkative crowd of people as we danced and drank all night.

Hanging above the bar is a prescription for all that ails you with the recommended remedy and dosage. Doctor's orders say I should order another drink.

It didn't take long before I met Fernando, the local hook up for my favorite smoking material, the "herba buena". Yes, San Cristobal De Las Casas is starting to grow on me and apparently there is a local grower's co-op for that here too.

It's time for me to explore some more so let me keep this post short, but I will give you a full report as my adventure unfolds. I'm supposed to meet with Fernando later today to meet some of the local growers. Once he learned I knew something about growing myself he's arranged for me to share some tips with the local grower's at the co-op. I'm sure there will be some sampling involved.

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