Brazil

Bela Jardim

Creamy chocolate and strawberry jam

This natural Catuai is reminiscent of creamy milk chocolate, walnut and sweet strawberry jam.

Lucas, together with his grandfather Valdivino, grows Catuai, Topazio and Arara on 50 hectares of land.

Producer
Lucas Alves de Oliveira
Coffee expression
A sweet & balanced coffee

Regular price: $18.00
incl. vat/tax
Sale price: $18.00
incl. vat/tax
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Producer

Benedito Aparecido Inácio

Lucas Alves de Oliveira has worked with coffee for many years, but it was only recently he started his own plantation, Fazenda Bela Jardim, near the city of Taiobeiras in northern Minas Gerais. He worked on farms around the Chapada de Minas region with his father, before being able to afford his own small plot in 2008. This was only 5 hectares, and wasn’t planted with coffee until 2012, when Lucas decided to work with the crop full time.

Since then, he has been able to slowly reinvest in quality, expanding his land and the selection of varietals and processes he can offer. Today, Lucas, together with his grandfather Valdivino, grows Catuai, Topazio and Arara on 50 hectares of land.

Natural Catuai

This lot of Catuai, like much of the coffee in the region, was processed as a natural. Dried on patios under the hot Brazilian sun, this leads to a quick initial drying and a clean profile in the cup. Here, this is reminiscent of creamy milk chocolate, walnut and sweet strawberry jam.

Technical Data

Producer
Lucas Alves de Oliveira
Region
Chapada de Minas
Altitude
850 masl
Varietal
Catuai
Process
Natural
Harvest
October 2022

Natural Process

The natural, or dry process, is the traditional process, going back generations. When accomplished in a controlled and careful manner, dry processed coffees can produce flavour experiences not found in wet processed coffees, deep fruits and florals, normally with heavier mouthfeel and lower acidity. The cherries are first sorted, and then laid out on in thin layers (2-6 cm) on raised drying beds. These are almost always used for high quality naturals, as they aid airflow around the coffee as it dries, enabling more even drying.

It is very important that coffees are sorted very carefully early on in the drying process, as all of the cherries quickly turn dark brown, making it impossible to separate under and overripe cherries. The cherries are turned frequently to avoid mold formation or over-fermentation, until they reach a moisture content of below 20%, and the outer cherry layer shrinks and blackens. This process takes between 2 and 4 weeks, depending on weather conditions.