Brazil Fazenda Santa Helena

Sweet Maria's Coffee

Is the coffee world getting smaller? To get this Brazilian coffee I have to call a broker in London, where an American and a Costa Rican and a Brit have managed to buy some of the great lots, and it gets shipped to Oakland via Portland. Seems more complicated than it should be, but when it comes to really nice coffees, the competition is indeed global, and small roasters in Europe are competing against buying groups in Japan, and a certian home roaster supplier in Oakland, California. Anyway, it's not about the story behind the coffee, it's about the trees, the processing, the roasting and the cup. It starts with this Sul de Minas farm. At the base of Serra do Pau D'Alho, near the shores of the Furnas Lake, lies Fazenda Santa Helena. High quality coffee varietials (Yellow Icatu and Yellow Bourbon, augemnted by Acaia) are grown using efficient, localized drip irrigation, which guarantees a gradual maturation of the tree, with no impact from severe weather accidents like drought and frosts. The farm is a true estate, and has complete autonomous processing facilities, including covered patios and raised bed drying (Brazilians call it "air drying", many call it African Bed drying since it originates in Ethiopia). The cup is excellent in espresso, and roasted properly lends a dusty sweetness to the cup. A lighter "cupping roast" has raw honey sweetness, carmel, orange, and roasted nuts. The aftertaste has a nice dry-roasted peanut character, cocoa, and that sweet undertone of sorghum syrup. The body is excellent, after a proper 48 hour rest. It's a mild cup for brewed coffee, low in acidity; as espresso it is a striking straight roast, single-origin, single estate cup... but reflects the way it is roasted. I-Roast espressos are llively and have more compact flavor range than the slower drum roasts, which are more deep and distinct.

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For more information on this product, visit Sweet Maria's Coffee's website.

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