Juquinha

Produced in the southern Minas Gerais region by the Batista family, with an unusually fruit-forward profile.

This lot comes from only their fourth harvest.
Coffee expression
A fruity & balanced coffee
Whole Bean Coffee
250g (8.8oz) or 1000g (35.3oz)

Regular price: $17.00
incl. vat/tax
Sale price: $17.00
incl. vat/tax
Regular price: ~~$19.00~~
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Producer
The Batista family

Varietal
Yellow Catuai

Process
Natural

Produced by the Batista siblings, Roseane and Weder, along with Roseane’s husband Ivan.

Brazil

The Batista Family

This lot comes from only the fourth harvest by this family project, run by brother and sister Weder and Rosane Batista, and Roseane’s husband Ivan.

The farm previously belonged to, and is named for, Roseane and Weder’s father Juquinha, and was used to grow soy and corn. When the siblings took over in 2015, they converted their fields to coffee, and were joined by Roseane’s husband, Ivan Prado de Melo. Ivan brings business know-how to join the Batista siblings’ agricultural experience, having previously worked in quality assurance for a German car manufacturer.

Unusually for this region, this cup is very fruit-forward, underpinned by a more typical rich Brazilian sweetness.

Sul de Minas

Fazenda Juquinha

Together they set about creating a sustainable business, and for them this meant aiming for high quality coffee - concentrating on soil health, educating themselves on fermentation and lot separation, and building African drying beds. The farm is now 10 ha, planted in 11 lots which are kept separate throughout processing. The farm is located just outside the town of Maria da Fé, in southern Minas Gerais.

Unlike many farms in the region, picking is done almost exclusively manually, meaning no compromise with the ripeness of cherries taken to the fermentation tanks. This also means that the harvest at Juquinha finishes approximately a month later than many surrounding farms, allowing longer time for cherry to mature, building up sugar content and complexity of flavour. These cherries are carefully fermented in open tanks then dried on raised beds, allowing for one of the most unique Brazilian lots we have tasted recently.

Our partners at Nordic Approach have been buying from Fazenda Juquinha since 2019, and have been very impressed by the improvements in quality for this harvest, mainly driven by improved fermentation protocols. Here we find an impressive fresh fruit character that is often lacking in Brazilian coffee, with a juicy feel to the sweetness and acidity balance.

Technical Data

Producer
The Batista Family
Region
Sul de Minas
Altitude
1200 masl
Varietal
Yellow 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.

Continue to explore:

Juquinha

The Batista Family

Fazenda Juquinha

Technical Data

Natural Process

Brew Guides

Guides

Equipment