Description
This Reserve Natural lot is processed 100% naturally: following a meticulous hand-pick, beans dry for up to 72 hours under the sun on raised cement patios, being turned constantly to ensure even drying. The result is a vibrant cup profile with notes of malted chocolate, ripe date syrup, and delicate pecan nuttiness. Its body is silky, and the surprisingly persistent finish leaves a sweet, rounded aftertaste.
By choosing this coffee, you not only enjoy a unique sensory experience but also support the economic development of Brazilian rural communities. The premium paid for these special lots helps fund education and healthcare programs, as well as community reforestation initiatives.
Tasting Notes: A great cup from light to dark roasts. We thought it shined best on the lighter side of a medium roast, a city+ most would say. The sweet and nutty tones give a hint of caramel with a little setup. Shows some citric acidity upfront but would be considered a lower acidity cup overall. The brighter features comingle with a medium bodied nutty/cocoa undertone and a sweeter edge. Reminds me of a nice Honduran coffee more so than a traditional Brazil, a bit nuttier. Medium to dark roasts mute the brighter characteristics providing a very smooth cup that works a little better for daily drinking or espresso. Turns much more chocolaty the darker you roast, still retains a little nuttiness in the aftertaste, a bit roasty if you touch or go into second crack but it compliments the beans characteristics.
Roasting Notes: Easy to roast, fairly even roasting with medium chaff levels. Lower chaff than most Brazil offerings. We recommend staying in the medium roast levels, but dependent on personal tastes it works lighter or darker. Make sure to let it setup a bit longer for a chance at the sweet nutty/caramel tone that we loved.
Joao Hamilton and FAF: 2009 was the year when the reputation of FAF & their efforts preceded themselves. As the “crazy famers” of the area, they started receiving curious visitors. One of the first, João Hamilton, worked at a farm smaller than the Croce’s, in nearby mountainous Caconde; since the farm began in 1979, it had known only commodity production. As the story goes, João was despondent, angry, and ashamed, on the verge of quitting the whole business, which he called an “agriculture of death” that was careless of future generations. “After a few years in this system, no matter how much we treated the plants, we were no longer able to have a considerable production, in addition to destroying the mountain’s soil.” João was eager for a new perspective and took the Croce’s journey to heart. “That’s when we started taking care of the soil and water, treating sewage and planting trees around the springs. We started to separate plots and varieties, make selective harvesting and drying in a suspended terrace, giving a special quality to the coffees. With this quality in the drink, we realized the dream of being sustainable in the mountains.” João’s own neighbors, all 5-20 hectare farmers like himself, began visiting him to decipher his newfound approach
João’s neighbors across the watershed began contributing coffee, and a satellite microlot community farming in sync with FAF began taking shape. Small, highly selective raised bed naturals from FAF and João began creating a market for themselves abroad. Coffees during these first years could only be milled in a neighbor’s barn near FAF at night, as the local dry mills simply refused to accommodate lots so small. But the approach was working: the quality and specificity of the coffees themselves surpassed the expectations of most roasters. And the farmers learned to think of their coffee as a beverage for pleasure, rather than a grain to be sold as a commodity. They found themselves becoming more competitive, and far more appreciative of what they were able to produce. The combination of quality in the cup and quality of the land were fused together among this group, into one mantra: “total quality.”
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