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Capão Alto

Walnut and milk chocolate in Cerrado

Deep walnuts and milk chocolate in this lot by Claudemir Vieira Paulosso in the Cerrado Mineiro region.

The family have been working in Cerrado Mineiro since 1993.

Producer
Claudemir Paulosso
Coffee expression
A nutty & rich coffee

Regular price: $17.00
incl. vat/tax
Sale price: $17.00
incl. vat/tax
Regular price: ~~$17.00~~
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A natural Catuai, with rich nut character and creamy milk chocolate in the cup.

Natural Catuai

Capão Alto

The Paulosso family have been working in coffee for generations. Like many of the producers in Cerrado Mineiro, they were driven out of previously established regions, in this case Paraná, by unpredictable weather conditions. Coffee producing families started arriving in Cerrado Mineiro in the 70’s, building a thriving industry due to ideal conditions for consistently producing natural coffees of high quality. The Paulosso family arrived on the plot that became Capão Alto in 1993, and have slowly expanded their project over the years, now working on 35 hectares of land. These 35 hectares are mainly planted with the Catuai varietal, popular in Brazil for many reasons, including its very high quality. Its dwarf stature also means it is easier to pick, and can be planted very close together, leading to higher yields for a given area of land. The natural process of this lot, made possible by the consistently warm and dry conditions during harvest, has led to a richly sweet profile, driven by nuts, chocolate and stewed fruits, typical of the Cerrado region.

Brazil

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 produce 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 much 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 warm and wet 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
Claudemir Paulosso
Region
Cerrado Mineiro
Altitude
900 masl
Varietal
Catuai
Process
Natural
Harvest
September 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.