Brazil

Chapadão de Ferro

Sweet dark chocolate and mandarin

A heavy and sweet expression of Cerrado, with rich dark chocolate and roasted almond flavours, punctuated by a fresh mandarin acidity.

The Catuai varietal is known for its high quality and dwarf stature, making it easier to harvest and leading to high yields.

Producer
Benedito Inácio
Coffee expression
A sweet & balanced coffee

Regular price: $17.00
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Sale price: $17.00
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Producer

Benedito Aparecido Inácio

Benedito Aparecido Inácio’s family have always produced coffee, but Benedito moved from his family’s farm in Paraná to Cerrado Mineiro with the aim of starting his own enterprise. He acquired a small plot of land in the early 1990’s, as coffee production in Cerrrado started to pick up pace. Initially, he serviced farm machinery, and leased his land to other farmers, gaining experience and saving money in order to start his own farm. Eventually, he was able to take over in 2013, and now earns most of his income through selling his coffee crop.

Benedito grows 18 hectares of Catuai on 25 hectares of land on the cone of the dormant Chapadão de Ferro volcano, meaning high altitude and very fertile volcanic soil. This combination of factors mean slowly developed and nourished cherries, which are harvested a month or two later than the rest of the region.

Grown at high altitude on fertile volcanic soil of the Chapadão de Ferro volcano.

Natural Catuai

Chapadão de Ferro

Over the intervening years, Benedito and his family have dedicated themselves to quality. His son Rafael Inácio completed a degree in Agronomy and joined the team at the farm, adding an extra layer of experience and knowledge. They chose to focus on the Catuai varietal for many reasons, including its very high quality. Its dwarf stature also means it is easier to harvest, and can be planted very close together, leading to higher yields for a given area of land. This lot of Red Catuai coffee underwent natural processing, drying directly on the Inácio family’s concrete patio.

This leads to a heavy and sweet expression of Cerrado, with rich dark chocolate and roasted almond flavours, punctuated by a fresh mandarin acidity.

Technical Data

Producer
Benedito Inácio
Region
Cerrado Mineiro
Altitude
1200 masl
Varietal
Catuai
Process
Natural
Harvest
August 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.