TRADITIONAL
Nº 234 Brazil Mió Mesodo
Country: Brazil
Process: Honey Process
Grown / Region: Monte Santo de Minas
Altitude: 1900m -1000m
Varietals: Catucaí, Bourbon & Mundo Novo
Producers: Pellicer Family
Tasting Notes: Cocoa, Molasses & Pecan Praline
Roast Level: Dark 5/5
Flavour Category: Chocolate & Caramel, Nuts & spice
FARM NOTES:
The Mio Estate’s mission is to oversee all aspects of coffee production, export and import. The Estate’s coffees are fully traceable through every stage, from the exact location of cherry harvest, to which trucks were used for transportation; never before have we received such comprehensive traceability reports! The Estate also responsibly cultivates their land and dedicates only 50% to coffee production and the remainder to natural forest. Natural and honey processing is preferred here so as not to exploit the region’s rich natural spring water sources - and the Estate is also committed to maintaining water flow and improving quality.
This honey processed lot involves collecting freshly picked coffee cherries and transporting them to the wet mill for mechanical de-pulping, ensuring the mucilage layer stays intact. This method is thought to transfer more of the sugars to the bean and produce a full bodied and well developed cup profile.
The coffee was patio dried for 14 days, and finished in mechanical dryers, before resting in wood silos.
In 1939, Renato Ribeiro was born at Fazenda Cachoeirinha, where his father was employed as an immigrant worker for many years. The farm is now called Mió, and its owners are his daughter Renata and her husband, Carlos.
This coffee was selected for its complex sweetness. The notes of caramelised nuts are fairly typical of Brazilian coffees, but the element of fruit flavour is what made this coffee stand out for us. This is our third season working with the Mio Estate, we faced a table of over 10 lots from the estate - and this was one of our favourites. The honey processing involves leaving some of the fruit mucilage intact during the drying phase, and this is thought to impart extra sweetness in the final cup.
DISCOVERY
Nº 239 Mexico Cafe El Zapoteco
Country: Oaxaca, Mexico
Process: Washed
Grown / Region: Sierra Juarez, Oaxaca
Altitude: 1300m - 1700m
Varietals: Typica, Mundo Novo, and Bourbon
Producers: 180 Smallholders
Tasting Notes: Date, Milk Chocolate & Clove
Roast Level: Medium 3/5
Flavour Category: Chocolate & Caramel, Nuts & Spice
FARM NOTES:
Based just north of Oaxaca City, Sierra Juarez is home to Café El Zapoteco, an association of 180 coffee producing families from three towns. It's a close knit community where neighbours help to harvest each others crops. Farms vary from 0.5 to 5 hectares, but most are relatively small at under 1 hectare on average. Each producer is paid for their harvest above the market price on the spot. Following this are additional payments for premium quality that typically result in 10 x the earnings of selling on the open market.
The coffee is de-pulped one day after harvest, then ferments between 12 and 36 hours. Drying takes place on rooftops under direct sunlight, but the air is cool and misty so the process is steady and yields well balanced results.
This community’s work produces a wonderfully approachable coffee that we have been purchasing for over 3 years.
We are into our third year of working with this same group of smallholders. In that time, we have seen quality improve, and therefore the producers receive higher incomes from their harvest. There is more sweetness in the cup, as well as good clarity of flavour. This lot has been roasted to a medium level, celebrating all the notes of caramelisation and making the coffee super versatile.