It’s named after the Zapatista movement in Mexico. The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is a Mayan culture-influenced socialist militant group that has been active in southern Mexico since the mid 1990s and currently controls nearly half of the Chiapas state – you may recognise this state as the same place we get our Mexican coffee beans from.
The areas run by the Zapatistas are known as the Rebel Zapatista Autonomous Municipalities, but this isn’t a warlord state – in a quirk of the movement, the Zapatista army doesn’t actually run the show. Their constitution bans any member of the militant group from holding office in any Zapatista-controlled government or municipality. One of the main Zapatista mottos is “Para todos todo, para nosotros nada (For everyone, everything. For us, nothing).”
Each community is run by an autonomous council (that isn’t recognised by the Mexican government). These councils aim to promote health, education, social and infrastructure solutions and labour rights.
So what’s all this got to do with coffee? Well to start with, a significant amount of the beans used in the Zap blend come from Chiapas (the rest come from Nicaragua, Colombia, Ethiopia and Brazil). We also think this coffee is pretty intense, a bit rebellious and provides something for everyone.
Recipe for an unbeatable Zap espresso
Use 19 grams of ground Zap blend. Brew it for 28 to 30 seconds, which will produce about 30g of espresso.
Take it as it is, touch it up with some hot water for a long black, or milk it up for a cappuccino. Up to you – it tastes amazing either way!
Order your Zap beans or ground coffee online, or head into Industrie Espresso Bar to get a freshly brewed Zap espresso.
