Description
FAF is Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza. One of the best Brazilian coffee farms on the block (at least in our opinion). They are the family that process and runs the Bob O Link Co-op, which many of us love and have been waiting for this season.
I had the joy of staying with them back in 2017 on my first trip to Brazil and am happy to vouch for the sustainability and quality of the operation. They are leading the way in boutique Brazilian coffee and getting better every season! This is not your average Brazil by any means. From processing, quality of screen, tastes and sustainability of their farming practices, these beans go way above 99% of Brazilian coffee production.
These two FAF lots are basically very fancy Bob-O-Link coffee. Higher cup scores than generic Bob-O-Link coffees, more diversity in flavor, more traceable, and fresh as can be. Instead of being a larger production blend of co-op members, these are fancier top lots from single farms, or multi-family lots of single strains.
Tasting Notes: A beautiful single-origin drinking Brazil. This is the most traditional lot of the two; nutty, chocolaty, sweet, clean and tasty. Hints of lemony acidity at the lighter roasts, good body with more traditional Brazilian nuttiness in the cup. Turns a bit more chocolaty and smooth as one pushes the roast into the medium to dark roast level. A nice sweet edge to the cup regardless of roast level. Still has some fruitiness in the cup, also some cool spice notes, but mild comparatively to the other two offerings.
Roasting Notes: Easy to roast, a little chaff heavy. Roasts just slightly two toned. If shooting for those wonderful light roasts, make sure everything is a little through first crack. A longer setup is not necessary, these beans present nicely even 12 hours later. After 4-5 days, loses a bit of floral/fruity factors but the cup will be richer and smoother.
This particular lot is a micro-blend of 2 farms located in the community of Cerra do Cigano, or “Gypsy Hill”, in the municipality of Caconde, a rolling, mountainous area with steep slopes and abundant natural springs, populated mostly by legacy family homesteads.
FAF Coffees and the “Other” Brazil
FAF Coffees is a specialty exporter in Brazil founded by the Croce family. During their years spent struggling to revive the soils of their own family farm in the Mogiana region, the Croce family connected with like-minded small growers struggling as well to make farming viable for the next generation. Over time, the Croce family estate, “Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza” (Environmental Fortress Farm), started sharing their approach to land management, and exporting other producers’ coffees to buyers they had come to know.
Farmers working with FAF have a strong focus on their immediate ecosystems—the watersheds and canopies that made the land worth living on—as well as quality in the cup, as a means to economic independence and self-esteem. Over the years the Croce family’s network of farmers grew. FAF now exports coffee on behalf of more than 250 small and sustainable farms throughout the Mogiana, Sul de Minas, and Caparaó regions. In all places they have mobilized entrepreneurial small growers dedicated to the same combination of cup quality, environmental health, and community strength, exuberantly referred to in the FAF network as “total quality”.
John G Turner (verified owner) –
I like this coffee. I roasted to just after 2nd crack. Dark. Exactly as described. Smooth. Chocolate. Fruit. Very nice aroma when roasting. Does have a lot of chaffe.
Kelly (verified owner) –
Tons of chaff, but an amazing roast. Dark roast, a little past second crack. At first smell, it seemed rather neutral, a little disappointing. The next morning, when I opened the canister, it had a beautiful aroma and brews up slightly sweet with dark chocolate and dried fruit Undertones and a wonderful mouth feel, absolutely wonderful.