MORE ABOUT
THESE COFFEES
Brazil is the largest and most prolific coffee producing country in the world, producing 61.6 million bags of coffee in 2020. The vast majority of those bags of coffee would have gone to commercial grade roasters all around the world. But this year, we have been able to purchase 18 bags of coffee, from the Vinhal family, who grow high quality specialty coffee.
The 18 bags of coffee that we purchased are from three different lots of coffee, which have each been processed in different ways ; we bought six bags each. All lots were mechanically harvested, which is the main method of harvesting in this region. The rolling hills terrain enables harvesting machines to move freely through coffee farms to pick the fruit.
Fazenda Recanto- Natural
This lot is a natural processed Yellow Catucaí 2SL, grown between 1000-2500 metres above sea level (MASL for short). Catucaí 2SL is a hybrid variety of Catuai and Icatu varieties, and is valued for it’s high quantity of production.
This lot comes from a single farm, Fazenda Recanto (‘alcove farm’). This farm has been part of the family holdings since Mr. Zico, Rafael Vinhal’s grandfather, started growing coffee in 1988.
As this coffee is a natural processed coffee, we can expect a higher level of sweetness to be present. Rafael, an accomplished coffee tester known as a ‘Q grader’, describes this coffee as having notes of ripe red fruits, citrus fruits, and a medium body.
Bóia Natural Estate Blend
Bóia (pronounced ‘boy-ya’) are coffee fruits that have been allowed to fully mature, ripen and dry on the tree. Once thought of as ‘defective’, in the coffee farming sector, bóia coffee has recently gained popularity, for it’s intense sweetness and complexity. This lot of coffee is a blend of Catuaí 62, Catuaí 99, Catuaí 144, Catucaí 2SL, Icatu, Topázio, IBC12 varieties, grown on both Fazenda Recanto and Fazenda Estrela.
Once the coffee has been harvested mechanically, the fruits are taken to the Vinhal family’s processing facility, which is positioned between the two farms. There, the fruits are placed in a tank of water. The bóia cherries will float, as they are already mostly dry and less dense than the ripe fruit that still has to dry out.
These precious floating fruits are quite scarce. The distinct wet and dry seasons of Brazil, means that coffee fruits tend to ripen at the same time, leaving little time for extra ripe fruit to dry enough to be distinguishable against normally ripe fruit.
As bóia coffee beans have lots of time in contact with the fruit, drying slowly in the sun while still on the tree, we can expect the similar tasting notes as the Fazenda Recanto-Natural. However, these flavours are intensified, resulting in a heavier sweetness, akin to red berries and dark chocolate.
Washed Estate Blend
Fully washed coffees are not very common in Brazil. The most common processes are natural and semi-washed, which are the lowest impact processing methods, environmentally, economically, and physically speaking.
Traditionally, Brazilian coffees are graded by the ‘softness’ of the taste, whereas washed coffees are prized for their ‘acidity’ and ‘sparkle’.
Like the Bóia Natural Estate Blend, this lot is a blend of Catuaí 62, Catuaí 99, Catuaí 144, Catucaí 2SL, Icatu, Topázio, IBC12 varieties, grown on both Fazenda Recanto and Fazenda Estrela. However, rather than being ‘floated’ and dried in the sun, the coffee is then put through the washing process.
In the washed process, all fruit is removed in several steps that involve fermentation and washing the coffee with water. Once all the fruit has been removed from the beans, the coffee is set to dry in the sun.
The characteristics of this coffee are lighter sweetness and more pronounced acidity. This is most likely due to the beans having a decreased time spent inside the coffee fruit. Rafael describes this coffee as having notes of citrus fruit, red berries, plum, and red apple.
MORE ABOUT
THESE COFFEES
Brazil is the largest and most prolific coffee producing country in the world, producing 61.6 million bags of coffee in 2020. The vast majority of those bags of coffee would have gone to commercial grade roasters all around the world. But this year, we have been able to purchase 18 bags of coffee, from the Vinhal family, who grow high quality specialty coffee.
The 18 bags of coffee that we purchased are from three different lots of coffee, which have each been processed in different ways ; we bought six bags each. All lots were mechanically harvested, which is the main method of harvesting in this region. The rolling hills terrain enables harvesting machines to move freely through coffee farms to pick the fruit.
Fazenda Recanto- Natural
This lot is a natural processed Yellow Catucaí 2SL, grown between 1000-2500 metres above sea level (MASL for short). Catucaí 2SL is a hybrid variety of Catuai and Icatu varieties, and is valued for it’s high quantity of production.
This lot comes from a single farm, Fazenda Recanto (‘alcove farm’). This farm has been part of the family holdings since Mr. Zico, Rafael Vinhal’s grandfather, started growing coffee in 1988.
As this coffee is a natural processed coffee, we can expect a higher level of sweetness to be present. Rafael, an accomplished coffee tester known as a ‘Q grader’, describes this coffee as having notes of ripe red fruits, citrus fruits, and a medium body.
Bóia Natural Estate Blend
Bóia (pronounced ‘boy-ya’) are coffee fruits that have been allowed to fully mature, ripen and dry on the tree. Once thought of as ‘defective’, in the coffee farming sector, bóia coffee has recently gained popularity, for it’s intense sweetness and complexity. This lot of coffee is a blend of Catuaí 62, Catuaí 99, Catuaí 144, Catucaí 2SL, Icatu, Topázio, IBC12 varieties, grown on both Fazenda Recanto and Fazenda Estrela.
Once the coffee has been harvested mechanically, the fruits are taken to the Vinhal family’s processing facility, which is positioned between the two farms. There, the fruits are placed in a tank of water. The bóia cherries will float, as they are already mostly dry and less dense than the ripe fruit that still has to dry out.
These precious floating fruits are quite scarce. The distinct wet and dry seasons of Brazil, means that coffee fruits tend to ripen at the same time, leaving little time for extra ripe fruit to dry enough to be distinguishable against normally ripe fruit.
As bóia coffee beans have lots of time in contact with the fruit, drying slowly in the sun while still on the tree, we can expect the similar tasting notes as the Fazenda Recanto-Natural. However, these flavours are intensified, resulting in a heavier sweetness, akin to red berries and dark chocolate.
Washed Estate Blend
Fully washed coffees are not very common in Brazil. The most common processes are natural and semi-washed, which are the lowest impact processing methods, environmentally, economically, and physically speaking.
Traditionally, Brazilian coffees are graded by the ‘softness’ of the taste, whereas washed coffees are prized for their ‘acidity’ and ‘sparkle’.
Like the Bóia Natural Estate Blend, this lot is a blend of Catuaí 62, Catuaí 99, Catuaí 144, Catucaí 2SL, Icatu, Topázio, IBC12 varieties, grown on both Fazenda Recanto and Fazenda Estrela. However, rather than being ‘floated’ and dried in the sun, the coffee is then put through the washing process.
In the washed process, all fruit is removed in several steps that involve fermentation and washing the coffee with water. Once all the fruit has been removed from the beans, the coffee is set to dry in the sun.
The characteristics of this coffee are lighter sweetness and more pronounced acidity. This is most likely due to the beans having a decreased time spent inside the coffee fruit. Rafael describes this coffee as having notes of citrus fruit, red berries, plum, and red apple.
