Sweet Maria's Coffee Cupping Reviews: Archive A - F

Ye Dusty Olde Sweet Maria's Coffee Review Archive
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2003 - 2004 Sweet Maria's Coffee Cupping Reviews Archive: A - F

Australia

Australian Mountain Top XF
Country:	Australia	Grade:	XF -Extra Fancy	Region:	New South Wales	Mark:	Mountain Top Estate
Processing:	Wet Process	Crop:	Sept. 2004 Arrival	Appearance:	.7 d/300gr, 17-18 screen	Varietal:	Bourbon-derived hybrid
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3	Notes: Mountain Top is a farm in SE Australia, about 2 hours south of Brisbane and 5 minutes west of Nimbin. This selected area is unique because of the altitude and unique volcanic red soils. The farm itself is on the slopes of the extinct volcano, Mt. Warning. The area is a lush, subtropical environment, and is unique in coffee since this is the southernmost growing area I am aware of. It's also unique in that this growing area is quite distant from where most Aussie coffees come from, at least the Skybury from Mareeba in the north, which is a fully mechanized farm akin to Kauai coffee. And this is the first time we have bought an Aussie coffee, after years of evaluating Skybury samples and finding the flavors to be somewhere between copy paper and plastic wrappers, this is such a relief. Now, for the preparation; it is a little embarassing to call this Extra Fancy because compared to a really nice Kona XF, the green coffee is not much to look at. It has a peculiar rounded form which is somewhat like Bourbon cultivar, and somewhat like Mundo Novo.My 300 gram sample has one broken bean, and a couple other oddities that won't affect the cup but make it seem that XF grade is a stretch. Nonetheless, we are not "eye-cuppers" here - we don't judge coffee by making pronouncements about the green appearance, since many perfectly prepared green coffees cup like cardboard. Now the cup ... the best part ... The cup is crisp and light-bodied. It's an odd term but very appropriate here: juicy! This cup is very juicy and has a very nice sweetness to it that is almost like pine sap, sharp sweet. In a way, it shares some cup qualities with Isle of Saint Helena coffees; the body is thin and their is this sweet clarity in the cup. How many times can I use the word "sweet" in describing this coffee? It would be a great training tool to show people what "sweet" coffee is... and it has brightness, something I have never truly experienced in an Aussie coffee. Overall, the flavors exist in a compact range, and the sweet aftertaste seems to linger for an appropriate amount of time given the lighter body.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.3
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.3
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		2.9
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.4
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / crisp, sweet, light-bodied cup
add 50		50	Roast: I like true Full City, just before 2nd crack. Even a bit into 2nd is nice - at this stage it is more bittersweet than sweet. I also notice that, with rest of several days, the body is much greater than I score here in the review.
Score (Max. 100)		85.5	Compare to: Has Saint Helena qualities in some regards, a sweet and straightforward cup that is, nonetheless, quite incomparabale.

Bali

Bali Shinzan Arabica Note: 2004 samples of this coffee came in very poor, with an off "baggy" note, so we won't be stocking Bali until at least Sept '04 when new crop samples will be evaulated! -Tom
Country:	Bali, Indonesia	Grade:	Grade One	Region:	Central Mts.	Mark:	Shinzan Co-op
Processing:	Wet-processed	Crop:	2003	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 17 Screen	Varietal:	Sumatra typica
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3	Notes: My friend visited Bali last year and raved about the hike they took in the coffee-forested highlands where small farmers tend their "coffee gardens" on slopes and terraces. I too wondered why I had never seen Balinese coffee offered in this country, so I jumped at the chance to sample Shinzan coffee when I saw it pop up on an offering list early this year. Bali coffee is indeed new to the U.S.: it was formerly sold exclusively to the Japanese market, and perhaps economic uncertainty is Asia is the only reason we are blessed with a shipment of it here. This new 2003 crop lot is really much more potent than previous years. It is brighter than other wet-processed Indonesians in the cup, and and fruited with a persimmon sweetness. The cup has clove and alspice. It has a definite Indonesia character akin to the more potent wet-processed Javas. The body is immense!
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.4
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		9.2
Body - Movement (1-5)		4.5
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.6
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Roast: I prefer this at Full City +, a few snaps of second crack . Then rest it for 24 hours . It roasts well darker too but then some of the delicacy of the flavors is lost.
add 50		50
Score (Max. 100)		86.7	Compare to: Java, Timor, PNG

Bolivia

Bolivia Organic Cenaproc Co-op
Country:	Bolivia	Grade:	SHG	Region:	Yungas Region, Central Mtn. Range	Mark:	Colonial Caranavi, Cert. Organic
Processing:	Wet-processed	Crop:	Late 2003 arrival	Appearance:	.1 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	All Typica
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.6	Notes: This lot of coffee has a unique story behind it. It is from the Co-op that won the #1 spot in the Bolivian Coffee Competition this past year. But just a week after we left the country, there was basically a coup and the president resigned amidst rumblings from the rural regions of Bolivia who believed he was selling out the country to foreign energy interests. In the meantime, there was a lot of uncertainty and perhaps jealousy against established organizations ...and perhaps Cenaproc co-op, having won the #1 spot for two years in a row, were a target. The Co-op's president decided to go into hiding, and since the coffee lot we had hoped to buy was almost ready for export, it too went into hiding! So this is a coffee I can truly call a "hidden gem", and a bit of a miracle it ever found its way to port in Peru and made it to the US. (BTW: Bolivia is stable, the Co-op is fine, nobody is hiding now). The cup is impressive, especially in it's sweet aromatics laced with a sharp spiciness - almost a cayenne hint. I am initially impressed with the caramelly sweetness in the cup, but as it cools the raspberry and grape fruitiness emerges. At a darker roast the darker fruits emerge (raisin, prune), but I really like the brighter berry-grape flavors at a City + roast. This cup profile is an excellent option for those who like Central American coffees, but want to try something new! I added a 1 cuppers correction; this really deserves it for its subtle charm.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.6
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Movement (1-5)		3
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.7
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Roast: City + roast is best I think… you don't want to burden the sweetness and fruit notes with bitter roast notes.
add 50		50	Compare to: A very Bolivian cup profile: light, sweet, fruited, clean
Score (Max. 100)		86.5	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild / Aromatics, clean fruits

Bolivia Fair Trade "de Montana"
Country:	Bolivia	Grade:	SHG	Region:	Caranavi, Yungas	Mark:	Fair Trade Cert.
Processing:	Wet-processed	Crop:	Jan 2004 arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	100% Typica
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		4	Notes: Bolivian coffees are delicate, subtle, low-intensity coffees in general. And why should that be a bad thing? Sometimes, the intensity of some origins gets in the way of the coffee, muddles up the flavors on the palate. I "discovered" Bolivian coffees in 2002 with the samples arriving from the AECAR co-op. It was the first time I had a clean Bolivian cup. With the barrier of defective flavors (from processing mistakes, usually) finally lifted from this origin, I could taste a light-bodied coffee with pear and apple hints in the cup, sweet, aromatic, delicious! It happened to come at a time I was cupping a lot of earthy new crop Sumatra and Sulawesi samples, and this Bolivian cup was the perfect counterpoint: sweet, delicate, clean, lively. What a relief! After participating in the Bolivia cupping competition this year, we made a lot of contacts with people who, like me, believe there are now really nice coffees coming from the Yungas region of Bolivia, and here's the result of that. This coffee is actually a product of the Cenaproc co-op too, but is a distinct lot marked as "de Montana". I like this cup roasted just a tad darker than our other Bolivian offering, to a Full City but not into the 2nd crack. The aromatics are great: sweet apple with a spicey zest. the general tone of this cup is deeper than the Cenaproc Organic lot we have, with roasted hazelnut notes, and ripe apple flavors. Theres a hint of dark berry too.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.8
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.4
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.2
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.7
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Roast: Full City roast is best IMHO … you don't want to burden the sweetness and fruit notes with bitter roast notes.
Add 50		50	Compare to: A very Bolivian cup profile: light, sweet, fruited, clean
Score (Max. 100)		86.7	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild / aromatic, fresh fruit and nut

Bolivian Organic - Aecar Coop
Country:	Bolivia	Grade:	SHB	Region:	Western Mountains	Mark:	Aecar Coop, QIA Certified Organic
Processing:	Wet Process	Crop:	2002-2003	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 17 Screen	Varietal:	Typicas, Bourbon, Caturra
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3	Notes: This lot of Aecar Co-op coffee is a wake-up call: great coffees come from Bolivia! Bolivia is an amazing country with spectacular geography, and a history of being under-recognized for its coffee production. It's an origin counties that has all the topography to produce excellent coffee but the samples just never rate well. (Venezuela comes to mind too). I didn't expect much from this co-op grown organic sample either, and the first time I cupped it I was underwhelmed. I didn't even go back to dip my spoon in the cup as it cooled ... and that's where I erred. This coffee is not impressive upon the first sip when it is hot, but the sweetness, the cinnamon spice, and some serious body (for a S. American coffee) emerge as the cup cools. It is a delightful, low intensity, mild cup. The preparation of the green coffee is impeccable, and hints at the concerted effort to offer top-notch coffees from this origin. This coffee is from Cooperative AECAR (an acronym for Asociacion Ecologica de Caficultores Rosario entre Rios). The Co-op is made up of 164 small farmers averaging a mere 3 acres of land per farmer. This Caturra, Typica and Bourbon coffee is cultivated at an altitude of 4,900 - 6,000 feet above sea level from member-farms in Illimani, Villa Caturapi, Collasuyo, Buen Pasto, Magallanes, Alto Ascension and Chuma. The Co-op has put a lot of their earnings into improvement of their shared mill, built raised bed patios for coffee drying, started their own nurseries, and brought in coffee technicians to further organic agricultural training.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		4
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.5
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.5
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.3
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Roast: City+ to Full City. This coffee works well with a wide latitude of roasts although Vienna or darker will wipe out the delicate flavors.
add 50		50	Compare to: "Classic" cup profile that really emerges as the cup cools -a sure crowd-pleaser.
Score (Max. 100)		86.3

Brazil

Brazil Org/Fair Trade -Poco Fundo Coop
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	Estate	Region:	Minas Gerais	Mark:	Fair Trade & Organic Certified; Poco Fundo Co-op
Processing:	Natural-Dry processed	Crop:	December 2004 arrival	Appearance:	.5 d/300gr, 17 Screen	Varietal:	Bourbon, Catuai, Icatu
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.0	Notes: I don't really need another Brazil on the list, but I just could not pass up this lot of Poco Fundo. They ship multiple lots through the harvest season and I have cupped the various arrivals over the years. They are inconsistent. Some have this amazing, almost Harar-like fruit to them, and a very deep, slightly winey character with very low acidity and a rustic chocolate character. Others cross the line into musty/fermenty/foul flavors. So my strategy with this farm (like many others) is that when one of those remarkable lots comes in, buy all I can from that and forget the rest of the shipments. Folks, this it IT! This lot is exactly what I want from a heavily fruited, stand alone Brazil. It has a cocoa roast flavor in the lighter roasts, with almondy hints. A bit darker and the roast taste turns to bittersweet chocolate of the Sharffen Berger variety (my favorite). This particular lot was sold out at the broker within a couple hours after the "arrival sample" was cupped so I was pleased to get the first call on setting aside 14 bags; it looks like it will be on the list for a few months allowing more people to try it. The Poco Fundo last year from the first lot was excellent like this one, but the second lot wasnt good. Additonal note: We roasted this for our Roastmaster coffee of the week: awesome! I blended a City+ and A Full City+ roast together, then culled out the under-roasted seeds. These are occasional "quakers", underripe coffee cherry. These get skimmed out with wet-processed coffees but sometimes make it past hand-selection with the dry-processed. I would cull out the extremely light tan ones, but not those that are just a shade lighter than the norm for the roast. Brewing these quakers, you find they actually have a apricot frutiness and a strong seseme seed flavor. There's other great Brazils coming this year, (Peaberry from Carmo Estate, a pure Yellow Bourbon) but none are as rustic and fruited as the Poco Fundo.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.7
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		7.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		9.0
Body - Movement (1-5)		4.0
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.0
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0.0	Roast: Full City: does well lighter too, and can certainly go darker. Note that the Poco Fundo is a bit low in acidity so there isn't much on the bright end of the cup profile so it is not the most balanced coffee taking into account this lack of acidity. Then again, all Sumatras and Sulawesi coffees are "unbalanced" by the same token. Consider a blend with a brighter coffee from another origin.
add 50		50	Compare to: Excellent complexity/depth and a unique origin flavors that shift greatly depending on roast...
Score (Max. 100)		85.1	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium+ / Body, fruity, low acidity

Brazil Cerrado Patrocinio Natural
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	16-17, SS, FC	Region:	Cerrado, Minas Gerais	Mark:	Joao Alberto Osso, Fazenda Bom Jardim
Processing:	Natural Dry-Process	Crop:	August 2004 arrival	Appearance:	1 d/300gr, 16+ Screen	Varietal:	Bourbon, Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3	Notes: I have been looking for a good coffee from Cerrado for quite a while, ever since the Monte Carmelo and the Prima Qualita marks from Cooxupe sorta slipped in quality. Here is the results of the search, a dry-processed Cerrado coffee from a single farm (Bom Jardim owned by Joao Alberto Osso), with great "origin character." This coffee is, like the Fazenda Ipanema, prepared using the natural dry method where whole unpeeled coffee cherry is layed out to dry on the patios intact. Basically, natural dry-process is the old, traditional Brazil method. This means that the coffee has all the pulp, fruity muscilage and skin on it as it dries. Natural coffees have greater concentrations of organic components, minerals and soluble solids, meaning that they have more body in the cup, and more intense flavors. While these flavors are chocolate and fruit in flavor, there is a husky side to them, a natural honey or naturally-dried fruit aspect to them. Sometimes I get a character from the cup that nears the dry-processed Ethiopian Sidamo! I pursued this lot mostly for espresso purposes, but find that the French Press cup from it is deeply enjoyable. It has very low acidity (the flavors really miss the tongue, and register on the back of the pallatemore than anywhere). There are dark, somewhat husky-toned chocolate notes with hints of spice and winey fruit. I am reminded of Mexican hot chocolate (Ibarra, La Abuelita etc), rustic chocolate from Mexico spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg ... maybe because growing up in San Diego we used to bring this back from our trips to Tiajuana and Baja. It has a muted finish that some might find a little unclean ... at least those who like pristine, crisp wet-processed Central American coffees. But for those who can handle a tad of earthiness in the cup (earth in a good way, not dirt flavors!) I think this will be a perfect match. Now, for espresso, this is a great coffee, either straight or as a blend base. It produces tones of caramel colored crema, and has a very classic espresso flavor. You can punch up the cup a bit (add sharper, distinctions to the flavor) with either a good Bourbon-varietal Central (Guatemala, Salvador) or you can make a more exotic blend with Harar, or Yemen.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.3
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		7.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Movement (1-5)		4.3
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.6
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild-Bold intensity / Low acidity, heavy body
add 50		50	Roast: For Press Pot, I like Full City+, a few snaps into 2nd crack. This is a coffee that I actually like brewed with a very short rest time after roasting (4-6 hours) even though the body won't be fully developed yet. For espresso, Full City+ to Light Vienna.
Score (Max. 100)		86.3	Compare to: Full bodied, dry-processed Brazil character: a little earthy, winey fruit, heavy body, low acidity.

Brazil Fazenda Ipanema "Dulce"
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	16+, 2/3, SS, FC	Region:	Mogiana	Mark:	Ipanema Estate, Utz Kapeh,
Processing:	Natural Dry-Process	Crop:	Jan 2004 arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 16+ Screen	Varietal:	Bourbon, Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.6	Notes: For more information on Utz Kapeh ( a sort of "Fair Trade Lite" designation) see this article. The Fazenda Ipanema "Dulce" (sweet) is a traditional Brazil, prepared using the natural dry method where whole unpeeled coffee cherry is layed out to dry on the patios intact. I have seen other farms refer to their dry-process coffee as "Dulce" but i am not sure if this is a uniform designation. Basically, natural dry-process is the old, traditional Brazil method. This means that the coffee has all the pulp, fruity mucilage and skin on it as it dries. Natural coffees have greater concentrations of organic components, minerals and soluble solids, meaning that they have more body in the cup, and more intense flavors. While these flavors are chocolate and fruit in flavor, there is a husky side to them, a natural honey or naturally-dried fruit aspect to them. Some would call that "unclean" in cup character. Even Illy frowns upon the wild notes in these coffees. But these coffees have more impact, more character, than other Brazils. The "Dulce" has a raw honey sweetness to it great body, earthy chocolate tones. It has very low acidity too, which to some is ideal but it does make the cup seem a bit incomplete to me: it doesn't register on the tongue, and most of the flavors are sensed toward the back of the palate. For a infusion (French press) or drip coffee, a bit of a natural dry-processed Ethiopian (Harar etc) would add a great accent to this cup. But as espresso the top end of this cup really comes up, balancing out the overall profile: it is great straight espresso! (Like other Brazils, don't overroast or they become ashy as espresso: restrict it to Vienna or lighter.) There is also a soft winey fruit tone that lurks in the back of this cup, certainly not as pronounced as the natural Ethiopian coffees, but along these lines. I was so excited about getting this lot of coffee that we had it trucked across the country from New Jersey to California! This isn't usually the case: I would say that the port of Oakland is the premier specialty coffee port in the nation, and we are 5 minutes from the coffee warehouses at the port! But in this case the container was already bound for the East Coast... but I was determined to get some of this lot anyway!
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		7.8
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Movement (1-5)		4.5
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.5
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Roast: I like a true Full City or Full City+ for this coffee, and a light Vienna for espresso. Like most Brazils you don't want to take them too dark because they often become ashy and carbony (at a Full French Roast).
add 50		50	Compare to: Traditional, full bodied, Natural Brazil character: a little wild, mild fruit, heavy body, low acidity.
Score (Max. 100)		86.5	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium / Body, mild fruits

Brazil Sul de Minas -Carmo Estate
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	16+, 2/3, SS, FC	Region:	Sul de Minas Gerais	Mark:	Carmo Estate
Processing:	Pulped-Natural Process	Crop:	Late 2003 arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 16+ Screen	Varietal:	Yellow Catuai, Catuai, Icatu & friends.
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.5	Notes: This coffee is my choice for espresso blending base, in conjunction with another Brazil of the Natural -Dry Process variety. It's a really high quality farm-specific south Minas Gerais coffee with a lot of history behind it: the Junqueira family introduced coffee in this high altitude region 150 years ago. And it is still in the family; Tulio Junqueira, a fourth generation member of the same family, owns Carmo Estate. Carmo Estate has 525 acres (212 ha) which is fairly average for an Estate type Brazilian farm (they get a LOT bigger than this) and ranges from 3,000 to 3,800 feet . It is planted with quite a few arabica varieties - Mundo Novo, Catuaí, Catucaí, Bourbon, Acaiá and Icatú. This lot is Yellow Catuai, and in fact as a Brazil Specialty Coffee Assoc. certified lot, I can log into the web page and view the varietal information and grading provenance for this specific lot! We chose the Carmo Pulped natural coffees, prepared by the fairly recent demucilage system created in Brazil. Ripe cherries are pulped but the mucilage (fruity layer under with outer peel) is not removed. Parchment coffee (green coffee in the outer parchment shell) dries in contact with the sugar-rich mucilage which transfers natural sweetness to the beans and preserves the full body typical of the best Brazilian coffees. Illycafe has been using Pulped Naturals as a part of espresso blends for years now, in combination with other Brazils. While I think the straight espresso shot of Carmo is really great (Vienna roast, 3 days rest) I would say that as a brewed coffee it is a mild, nutty, but somewhat dull cup. We got it mostly for espresso usage ... but I have done some neat blend experiments with it for Full City+ French roasts brewed by drip/French press and it is a great base coffee. I did 50-50 blends with Carmo-Harar, Carmo-Mysore Nuggets, Carmo-Sumatra Iskandar. All of these had a really good roast taste (and I am sure there's a lot of other blends that would benefit from a Carmo base), and the other coffee provided the accent.				View of the valley at Carmo Estate
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.2
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.2
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.4
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.8
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.2
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Roast: See notes above: In general Full City is best for Brazils in terms of nutty-chocolate-sweetness, and you don't want to take them too dark because they often become ashy and carbony (at a Full French Roast).
add 50		50	Compare to: Very high quality Brazil of the Pulped Natural type (a cleaner cup profile than the Natural-Dry Brazils) best for espresso blending and Vienna Roast drip blend bases. If Pulped Natural doesn’t sound so good, be assured that in the last 3 Brazil Cup of Excellence auctions nearly every winning coffee was a Pulped Natural! And Carmo Estate is used by one of the top espresso shops in the Pacific Northwest (you espresso people know who I am referring to... okay, his initials are D.S. ) alright, it is Espresso Vivace
Score (Max. 100)		86.3

Brazil Matas de Minas -Brauna Estate
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	16+, 2/3, SS, FC	Region:	Araponga, Matas de Minas Gerais	Mark:	Fazenda Brauna
Processing:	Pulped-Natural Process	Crop:	Late 2003 arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 16+ Screen	Varietal:	Catuai, Bourbon
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.3	Notes: I had received the Fazenda Brauna sample from a specialized Brasilian importer and thought it was great stuff. We arranged to set aside some bags from the shipment,. And in the meantime the coffee placed high in the Brazil Cup of Excellence competition! (It was No. 2 in the general competition and No.10 overall ... that's from over 900 samples submitted! It fell just below the 90 threshold to join 8 other coffees for a special distinction.) The farm has been owned for years by Afonso Jorge Schmölz de Mattos, who overseas all the production and milling of the coffee on the farm. This lot is Catuai and Bourbon, and it is a Brazil Specialty Coffee Assoc. certified lot. That means I can punch in the certificate number to the BSCA web site and view the varietal information and grading ratings for this specific lot - very cool! Pulped Natural coffees are prepared by the fairly recent demucilage system created in Brazil. Ripe cherries are pulped but the mucilage (fruity layer under with outer peel) is not removed. Parchment coffee (green coffee in the outer parchment shell) dries in contact with the sugar-rich mucilage which transfers natural sweetness to the beans and preserves the full body typical of the best Brazilian coffees. Illycafe has been using Pulped Naturals as a part of espresso blends for years now, in combination with other Brazils. I spoke with Joao who works at the farm and he tells me that the experiments with other process methods on the Brauna farm were just not a good match for this coffee in terms of cup results (and with their 10th place prize I am sure he is right). I use the Brauna as a small percentage of espresso blends ... I don't want to use too much because this coffee is a bit brighter than other Brazils, and too much acidity in espresso can make a sourish tazze. It is a great single origin Brazil for drip/French press too. It has a lot of balance in the cup, great body, nutty tones in the Full City roast turning to chocolate bittersweet at Vienna. It's not a sweet coffee and some cups have an almost oakey hint.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.3
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.4
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.9
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.3
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Roast: See notes above: In general Full City is best for Brazils in terms of nutty-chocolate-sweetness, and you don't want to take them too dark because they often become ashy and carbony (at a Full French Roast).
add 50		50	Compare to: Very high quality Brazil of the Pulped Natural type (a cleaner cup profile than the Natural-Dry Brazils). If Pulped Natural doesn’t sound so good, be assured that in the last 3 Brazil Cup of Excellence auctions nearly every winning coffee was a Pulped Natural!
Score (Max. 100)		86.7	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild / Simple nuttiness

Brazil Organic / Fair Trade -Poco Fundo Coop
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	Estate	Region:	Minas	Mark:	Fair Trade & Org. Cert; Poco Fundo Co-op
Processing:	Natural-Dry processed	Crop:	Jan 2004 arrival	Appearance:	.5 d/300gr, 17 Screen	Varietal:	Bourbon
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.0	Notes: At this time of the year, we need another Brazil coffee on the list like we need an Earthquake here in the Bay Area. We have tons of Brazils again this year, and we have 2 other Natural brazils, the Mogiana Estate and the Ipanema Dulce. But the way we run this business isn't by some overall theme (like stocking one coffee from every origin on earth) but by cup quality. We judge the cup in blind evaluation (cupping) and let the beans fall as they may. And in this case, we end up with a lot of Brazilian coffees right now. It's not that Brazil produces the most varied and intriguing coffees of all producing nations; it's that we have never had such a selection on independently good Brazil samples at our doorstep before. In the case of the Poco Fundo from Minas Gerais, I just could not pass it up. It is a remarkable Brazilian cup with great depth and a little fruity Merlot finish in some of the cups we had... but not all. If this had been in the Brazil auction it would certainly be a top 5 finisher, and in fact this is the type of cup character I would like to see from the Auction coffees. It is more true to Brazil, the the typical nutty-cocoa Brazil flavors, and this is because it is traditionally dry-processed as all Brazils have been for several centuries now. The bonus here is a toasted almond roast taste, and in some cups a deep, subtle winey-fruitiness , a low-toned flavor that makes this one a great coffee as a straight, unblended roast and french-press or vaccuum-pot brewed. Even if you don't get that fruit out of the cup (I had it from 1 out of 3 roasts we did) the almondy flavor is worth brewing this one straight. We had a very small amount of this coffee and I managed to weasel a few more bags out of the broker ... soi it looks like it will be on the list for a few months allowing more people to try it. The Poco Fundo last year from the first lot was excellent like this one, but the second lot wasnt good. We have a second shipment lined up for a little later in the year, but there's no telling if we will actually take delivery of it, or reject it. So if you like Poco Fundo get some from this lot to be sure. Additonal note: We roasted this for our Roastmaster coffee of the week: awesome! I blended a City+ and A Full City+ roast together, then culled out the under-roasted seeds. These are "quakers", underripe coffee cherry. These get skimmed out with wet-processed coffees but sometimes make it past hand-selection with the dry-processed. I would cull out the extremely light tan ones, but not those that are just a shade lighter than the norm for the roast. Brewign these quakers, you find they actually have a apricot frutiness and a strong seseme seed flavor,
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		7.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		9.0
Body - Movement (1-5)		4.0
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.0
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1.0	Roast: Full City: does well lighter too, and can certainly go darker. Note that the Poco Fundo is a bit low in acidity so there isn't much on the bright end of the cup profile - if the cup has good flavors and body but seems a little flat to you, a 50-50 blend with Brauna will change that! Also consider a blend with a brighter coffee from another origin.
add 50		50	Compare to: Excellent complexity/depth and a unique origin flavors that shift greatly depending on roast...
Score (Max. 100)		86.0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium+ / Body, fruity, low acidity

Brazil Cup of Excellence -Sitio Araucária
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	CoE Auction Lot	Region:	Carmo de Minas, Minas Gerais	Mark:	Sitio Araucaria - Kleber de Castro Junqueira
Processing:	Pulped-Natural Process	Crop:	2003 Cup of Excellence, late Feb 2004 arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 16+ Screen	Varietal:	Yellow Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.5	Notes: We bought two Cup of Excellence Auction Lots this year, one exclusively for espresso, and this one, the Sito Araucaria, for brewed coffee. (To be clear, this coffee can be used as part of an espresso blend, but as an accent coffee, not a base). As brewed coffee this is my favorite, a character that is somewhere between a Huehuetenango from Guatemala and a Yirgacheffe from Ethiopia, provided you keep the roast on the lighter side. AT a City+ roast it has a predominate ripe orange-tangerine flavor (not an acidy flavor though) with a twist of rind in the finish. The long history of the land is interesting, so I included it on a separate page, but in brief this has been a Junqueira family farm for seven generations! It was part of a Land Grant, granted by the Portuguese Crown at the end of the 18th Century. It is a Yellow Catuai varietal, and the farm is very small, a mere 16 hecatres. As a pupled natural, it seems to have more of a bright end on the cup, although I would not call the acidity high. It has citrus qualities without being citrusy as we describe a Kenya or Yirgacheffe. After these flavors fade, there is a strong nuttiness in the coffee, cashew-almond, and a good, waxy-fatty body that goes with the nutty flavors. This leads to a nice finish on the cup. These flavors are maximzed at a fairly light roast with a good 24 hour rest after roasting. I mentioend espresso: this works really nice in a blend with the Laranja Cravo: 70% L-C and 30% Araucaria was great in my tests. For espresso I reached the best flavors at a light Vienna, about 40 seconds into 2nd crack in a Rosto. For drip-infusion coffee I recommend a City to City +.				Mr. Junqueria
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.2
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.4
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.7
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.6
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.6
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Roast: See notes above for espresso and drip-infusion methods.
add 50		50	Compare to: Very high quality Brazil of the Pulped Natural type with a cup that holds up as straight brewed single origin and as a portion of an espresso blend.
Score (Max. 100)		87	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild to Medium / body, fruit and nut flavors

Brazil Mogiana Sul de Minas "Natural Dry"
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	16+, 2/3, SS, FC	Region:	Mogiana	Mark:	Mogiana Sul do Minas Estate
Processing:	Natural Dry-Process	Crop:	Late 2003 arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 16+ Screen	Varietal:	Bourbon, Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.6	Notes: The Mogiana Estate Sul de Minas is a traditional Brazil, prepared using the natural dry method where whole unpeeled coffee cherry is laid out to dry on the patios intact. This means that the coffee has all the pulp, fruity mucilage and skin on it as it dries. Natural coffees have greater concentrations of organic components, minerals and soluble solids, meaning that they have more body in the cup, and more intense flavors. While these flavors are chocolate and fruit in flavor, there is a husky side to them, a natural honey or naturally-dried fruit aspect to them. Some would call that "unclean" in cup character. Even Illy frowns upon the wild notes in these coffees. I think its delicious, a great straight roast Brazil for drip brewing, and a great component in espresso blends. Of the Brazil Naturals, this Mogiana Estate is of the more intense cup profiles, a bit on the wild side. It has great body, a "miel" natural honey character, nutty to chocolatey depending on degree of roast, and fruited with a winey, almost fermenty hint. It is not overly sweet, and in fact I did some neat blends with the Mogiana natural and Harar as an accent coffee (60-40 blend) with great results both as French Press/Drip and as espresso.				Natural Brazil coffee drying under the sun. Note the dark color due to the fact that this is whole cherry right of the tree, not the unpeeled/washed parchment you would see with a wet-processed coffee.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.3
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.5
Body - Movement (1-5)		4.3
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.5
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Roast: I like a true Full City+ for this coffee, and a light Vienna for espresso. Like most Brazils you don't want to take them too dark because they often become ashy and carbony (at a Full French Roast).
add 50		50	Compare to: Traditional, full bodied, nutty chocolatey Natural Brazils: Like the well-known Vista Alegre and Fazenda Impanema
Score (Max. 100)		86.7

Brazil - Fazenda Vargem Grande
Country:	Brasil	Grade:	SS,2,FC	Region:	South Minas	Mark:	Vargem Grande
Processing:	Pulped Natural	Crop:	02-03	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 17 Screen	Varietal:	Mundo Novo, Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.0	Notes: Fazenda Vargem Grande is located in the southern region of the State of Minas Gerais, and is close to the southeastern region of the State of São Paulo, at the skirts of the Mantiqueira Mountains in a slightly undulated plateau with higher slopes The altitude of the plantation area varies from 1100 to 1200 meters, and the rainfall distribution at the farm greatly benefits coffee quality; between 1200 and 1600 mm. During the harvest period (winter), temperatures are relatively low (almost zero!) and tere is little rain, which naturally inhibits the activities of fungi and bacteria. All the coffee was hand picked on special pieces of cloth, thus avoiding contact with the soil and mixing the beans with those already on the soil which could contaminate and spoil the main lot. Coffee picked up in the morning arrives at the processing unit shortly after noon, and coffee picked in the afternoon, up to 5 p.m., is processed as soon as it arrives at the mill hopper. The process used is based on the pulped natural method, which consists of washing, reception, separation from the green beans, pulping and direct mucilage removal. After processing, the pulped natural coffee, green beans and the dry beans are immediately forwarded to the terraces, or as soon as the excess water has been drained, to the rotary dryers - which expose them to heat in a more uniform manner.				In terms of the cup character, it is what you would expect from a premium Brazil (and what makes them so good as a base for espresso blends -creamy body, nice bittersweet roast taste). In fact, many of the auction lot coffees this year don't taste much like Brazil at all, but the Vargem Grande (which was a winner in last year's auction) truly does. It has an interesting , slightly rooty flavor with some cups being more clove-like than others (we prepare 3 cups of each sample in this cupping session). Roasted a little darker the coffee becomes carbony which can give it better pungency for espresso.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.0
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		7.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.5
Body - Movement (1-5)		4.5
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.0
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0.0	Roast: Full City (a few snaps into 2nd crack) is preferred over the lighter City roast.
add 50		50	Compare to: Interesting and unique pungency develops at the medium-dark roast settings.
Score (Max. 100)		84.5

Brazil "Cup of Excellence" Auction -Fazenda Boa Vista
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	N/A	Region:	Patrocínio, Cerrado Mineiro, Minas Gerais	Mark:	Fazenda Boa Vista / Fazenda Tabuoes
Processing:	De-muscilaged	Crop:	2003	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 16-17 Screen	Varietal:	Yellow Icatu
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.5	Notes: Fazenda Boa Vista was the lot we wanted from the outset of the 2002 Brazil C.O.E. Auction, even though the International judges didn't put it in their top 5. I cupped all the samples that were expedited to us in the days before the auction (December '02) and what surprised me was the uncharacteristic acidity in the top 5 coffees. Indeed, the Panel had chosen winning coffees that were more like Guatemalan and Costa Rican coffees than those with true Brazilian origin character. And in a cupping with Guat or CR those coffees wouldn't have ranked that well. I wanted a coffee with exceptional Brazilian character, and that was why we went after the Boa Vista (and it seems others did to because the bidding for this lot was fierce, changing ownership more than 20 times in the day. The BSCA provides a lot of information about this farm: Faz. Boa Vista is a part of the much larger farm, Fazenda Tabuoes. Tabuoes is run by an agronomist, and it quite an elaborate operation, with an amazing amount of land and variety of coffee cultivars growing there: 1,447.22 hectares, with the following varieties under production: Acaiá, Aramosa, Yellow Bourbon, Red Bourbon, Caturra, Typica, Mundo Novo, Yellow Icatu, Red Icatu and Catuaí. The Boa Vista plot is Yellow Icatu, and was selected as the best cup quality of the coffees from Tabuoes and entered into the Cup of Excellence auction. With an altitude of 1,150 meters and average temperatures of approximately 22 Celsius the region has well defined seasons during the year, enhancing the production of the best coffees. Harvesting in the fields is partly mechanized and partly manual. The harvested coffee is immediately transferred from production fields to washers. The water used to process coffee is from artesian wells, and after being used, it is treated and used for irrigation, eliminating any possibility of damage to nature. The beans are dried under the sun in concrete terraces for three days. Immediately after, the beans are transferred to the dryers that use hot water as their source of heat. The temperature of the dryers does not go beyond 30 Celsius. The beans are removed from the dryers when they reach 11 percent humidity. Initially, coffee is stocked in wooden bins for a period of approximately 60 days to homogenize bean humidity. Subsequently, the coffee is ready to be reprocessed and packaged in burlap bags. Drying under the sun is made in fine layers and the coffee is turned many times during the day to ensure homogeneity and to avoid any possibility of fermentation. Dryers possess an absolute temperature control that is in contact with the beans, allowing them to be dried uniformly and consistently. Beans are electronically selected using a SORTEX 90.000 equipment, ensuring their accuracy and consistency. The cup? It is very Brazilian: there is a pronounced dry-roasted peanut flavor in the lighter roasts, exceptional body, hints of dark fruit, and a pleasant smoke in the aftertaste. Its a cup that is subtle and doesn't really come into its own until the cup has cooled a bit. Roasted to a Full City + (a few snaps into second, and I prefer this roast) the origin character persists with more sharp nutty notes, and a pleasant carbony-smokey flavor that emerges in the aftertaste (which is quite long). It is exceptional as espresso, but not when roasted too light, in which case it is sour. Roasted to a solid Vienna, then rested 2 days, it is a great Ristretto (short espresso). Some cups seem to have more of these deep fruit notes, and sometimes I have trouble finding it. But this makes it a pleasure when it is there!
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.0
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.8
Body - Movement (1-5)		4.5
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.7
Cupper's Correction (1-5)