Brazil Rio Brilhante

Roaster note:

A wide selection of varieties common to Brazil can be found at Rio Brilhante. These include; Bourbon, Topazio, and Catucai, amongst others. As part of their core drive to always innovate, new varieties such as Arara and Paraiso are also being introduced. These varieties have been chosen not only for their great cup attributes but also for their pathogen-resistant characteristics that help deter diseases such as leaf rust. This, in turn, increases the productivity of the tree and also reduces the quantity of fungicide application needed. This particular lot from Rio Brilhante is 100% Aramosa: an interesting hybrid of Arabica and the lesser-known Racemosa species. Aramosa is well known for its great cup quality, as well as being naturally low in caffeine content.

This particular lot from Rio Brilhante is one of several experimental fermentation lots. In this case, the coffee is subject two fermentation processes; both aerobic and anaerobic. Cherries are picked and sorted, before undergoing a process of anaerobic fermentation. Here, the coffee cherry is placed into 200-litre pots and the oxygen removed and a valve allows for excess carbon dioxide to leave the chamber. After 36 hours, the coffee is removed, cleaned and poured onto a cement terrace; spread evenly so that it is 15cm in-depth and left to dry off any excess water. For many coffee processes, this is where the coffee would remain until completely, dry, however in this case, after 2 days the coffee is scooped back up and placed into large sacks to undergo the aerobic fermentation. Here, coffee will remain for another 18 hours. The sacks are kept in dry conditions and away from direct sunlight, limiting negative effects on the ferment. Finally, the double fermented cherry is removed from its sacks and replaced in layers of 5cm on the terrace and left to dry.