This coffee is an unusual one for us!! We love coffees from Brazil, and in particular top lots like this from Espirito Santo, a region to the east of Minais Gerais. The thing that’s unusual about it is that it’s a washed coffee... most of the coffee produced in Brazil is either pulped natural or natural. Fully washed Brazilian coffees are uncommon, and as we’ve been moving our buying away from washed coffees with a general buying mix of 80% naturals to 20% washed it’s perhaps even a bit more unusual!
So why did we buy it? Because it’s incredibly good! We cupped this as a team and everyone kept having to check their notes because the profile was distinctly like a washed Kenyan coffee-- bright, sweet acidity with notes of cranberry, molasses, and strawberry preserve. It's got lovely, clean flavors that contrast with what we’ve come to expect from Brazil, generally known for its textural chocolatey coffees (which we also love).
Valdeir Cezati is a fifth generation coffee producer in Pedregulho, Castelo, Espirito Santo. This lot is a blend of Red and Yellow Catuai. Cezati credits switching much of his production to Red Catuai to his success. In his words, “we spent 19 years producing specialty coffees, but without results in quality competitions. We changed the variety to Red Catuai in the coffee plantation and the victories came.” The farm and Cezati have built quite a reputation this year: his coffees won the local Pio Corteletti competition. Another thing we really like about Cezati is that he has stopped using pesticides entirely and is constantly improving his environmental impact as a farmer. We hope to buy more coffee from Cezati in the future and hopefully learn more about him and his farm.
Elevation: 1000 Meters Above Sea Level
Varietal: Red and Yellow Catuai
Cup Score: 87
Price paid per kilo: £10.70 per kg
Process: Washed
