Brazil

Cachoeira

Rich chocolate and stewed red fruits

A natural Catuai by João Rafael da Luz, who has been farming coffee at Fazenda Cachoeira since 1993.

Deep chocolate richness, followed by typically Brazilian stewed fruit notes, reminiscent strawberry jam.

Producer
João Rafael da Luz
Coffee expression
A nutty & rich coffee

Regular price: $17.00
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Sale price: $17.00
incl. vat/tax
Regular price: ~~$17.00~~
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Produced by João Rafael da Luz on his 30 hectares of land, that he has owned since 1993.

Brazil

João Rafael da Luz

João Rafael da Luz has worked on coffee farms for many years, but was able to start his own business in 1985 after winning three hectares of land in a land raffle. He was successful in growing coffee and passionfruit for many years, but lost the majority of his crops to a heavy frost in 1993. Due to his success on his first farm however, he was able to purchase a larger plot, here at Fazenda Cachoeira, where he still farms coffee today. 30 hectares of the farm are planted with coffee, a location chosen specifically for its quality potential, and protection from frosts.

João’s genuine passion for coffee drives, as the only son who continued his parents line of work. It’s this passion and drive that sets him apart from many other producers in Brazil, where the landscape is dominated by large scale industrial agriculture projects. The farm is planted mainly with Catuai, tended to carefully by João and his son. This lot was processed as a natural, creating an elevated expression of the typical Brazilian profile, with rich and sweet chocolate notes lifted by stewed red fruit, like strawberry jam.

Coffee runs in João’s family, his parents and now his son have worked in coffee production.

Catuai

Cerrado Mineiro

The region of Cerrado Mineiro is part of the state of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil. In 2013 the region became the first in Brazil to be granted a protected designation of origin certificate, similar to Champagne or Scotch whisky. To qualify for the title ‘Cerrado’, the coffees must be speciality grade and grown above 800 masl in the Cerrado Mineiro region. The 4500 producers of the Cerrado region produces 6 million bags of coffee a year, from 210,000 hectares of coffee growing lands.

Most of the lands here are of quite low altitude compared to most of the coffee we buy here at La Cabra, and are more flat, rather than on more mountainous terrain. The region has characteristic and distinct seasons, with a wet warm summer, and a dry winter, leading to more consistency in growing conditions between years. The dry climate during harvest means less issues with drying coffees, part of the reason so many high quality naturals are produced here.

Technical Data

Producer
João Rafael da Luz
Region
Cerrado Mineiro
Altitude
1100 masl
Varietal
Catuai
Process
Natural
Harvest
July 2021

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.

Continue to explore:

João Rafael da Luz

Cerrado Mineiro

Technical Data

Natural Process