Brazil

Mococa

Sweet and clean pulped natural

Sweet and clean chocolate and nut notes are joined by ripe strawberry and cherry.

Each producer that contributes to the lot has to fulfil several environmental criteria, including planting native shade trees and growing secondary crops to enrich their soils

Producer
Mococa Farmers
Coffee expression
A sweet & balanced coffee

Regular price: $17.00
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Each producer that contributes to the lot has to fulfil several environmental criteria, including planting native shade trees and growing secondary crops to enrich their soils.

Brazilian producing group

Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza

This lot is created with the support of well known Brazilian producing group Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, or FAF. FAF take sustainability on their own farms very seriously, and this is no different when it comes to buying coffees from neighbouring farms. There are several criteria that these farms have to fulfil before they can be considered by FAF, with an overarching theme of working in harmony with nature to create the highest quality coffees. This has not been easy Brazil, well known for its rather high intensity agriculture industry. Sacrificing this efficiency in order to chase quality and environmental responsibility is seen as a compromise by a majority of agro-businesses here, but nevertheless FAF have convinced 50 producers to be part of this program, known as Bobolink.

Sweet and clean chocolate and nut notes are joined by ripe strawberry and cherry.

Castillo

Mococa

These producers from across the region of Mococa all practice polyculture farming. They have either planted or preserved native shade trees, and also grow secondary crops, such as wheat, fruits or vegetables. Many of these fix nitrogen into the soil, which benefits the coffee crop without using chemical additions. There is an overall aversion to chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and although they are occasionally used in cases of severe disease or fungal infections in the coffee crop, this is miniscule in comparison to wider Brazilian coffee production. All of this together creates a wild and natural habitat for native wildlife, especially birds in the high shade trees. This also gives rise to the name of the project, the Portuguese name for the native ‘New World Blackbird’ which is seen across the region - Bobolink.

Also unusually for Brazil, these farms all pick ripe cherries by hand instead of using mechanical stripping methods, and dry slowly and evenly on African raised beds instead of in full sun on patios. They are also at a high altitude in Brazilian terms, with many of the farms reaching 1400 masl, and grow only high quality Arabica varietals, with this lot in particular made up of 100% Castillo. This leads to a clean Brazil profile, with sweet milk chocolate and hazelnut notes joined by soft ripe fruit notes more reminiscent of Central American coffees.

Technical Data

Producer
Mococa Farmers
Region
Mococa
Altitude
1200 masl
Varietal
Castillo
Process
Pulped Natural
Harvest
November 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.