Producer: Espírito Santo Community Lot
Country: Brazil
Region: Mountains of Espírito Santo
Elevation: 900-1200 MASL
Varietal: Red & Yellow Catuai
Process: Washed
Taste: Caramel, Walnut, Sweet
Espírito Santo is our import partner Osito's main focus in Brazil. Unlike most other importers that work mainly with larger farms in Minas Gerais, arguably the epicentre of speciality production in Brazil, Osito has chosen as an exporter and importer, to focus on an area where small farmers are the norm and semi-washed or pulped natural processing are far more common than full naturals.
Espírito Santo is one of Brazil’s smallest states, but its largest producer of Robusta coffee and until around 20 years ago, the region produced almost no speciality quality Arabica. Most of the producers in the area own small properties and due to the region’s humidity (caused by its proximity to the coast and the rocky, mountainous terrain) were struggling to produce high volumes of naturally processed coffee without risking mould, over ferment or phenolic defects. As such, they began experimenting, and very quickly caught the attention of cuppers internally and externally.
Well processed lots from this region have great clarity, plenty of fruit sweetness, and noticeably higher acidity than other Brazilian coffees; the cup profile is more reminiscent of Central American or Colombian coffees. It is arguably both the terroir or climatic factors and the processing that has led to this brighter cup profile. Washed processing is not just safer but offers an interesting and alternative flavour profile that is different to any other region in Brazil.
Osito’s goals in Espírito Santo are twofold: both to find these top-scoring microlots, and to develop partnerships with small producers in order to showcase their 83+ scoring coffees internationally.
