BRAZIL MANTIQUEIRA | October 2023
October's Bean of the Month, Brazil Mantiqueira, hails from the famed coffee-producing region of Minas Gerais. This area, known for its natural coffee processing expertise, has earned a reputation for delivering consistent, high-quality harvests.
This coffee originates on the slopes of the Mantiqueira Mountain Range in southeast Brazil. Serra de Mantiqueira boasts a unique geographical designation - a small-scale version of cheddar or champagne where the product must be produced in the area to have the mark – on account of its uniquely sweet and clear flavours.
COFFEE ORIGIN PROFILE
Country: Brazil, South America
Municipality: Carmo de Minas
Producers: Rio Verde Valley Coffee Growers Regional Co-operative
Varietals: Acaia, Yellow Bourbon, Catuai
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1000-1200m above sea level.
Brazil is beloved among coffee drinkers for full flavoured and big bodied brews. Brazilian coffee growers have long mastered the natural coffee process and have a well-earned reputation for achieving great consistency in their harvests, despite the temperamental nature of this method.
October’s Bean of the Month comes from the south-east of Brazil in the state of Minas Gerais. The coffee is grown on the slopes of the Mantiqueira Mountain Range, and this area has achieved a special geographical designation – a small-scale version of cheddar or champagne where the product must be produced in the area to have the mark – on account of its uniquely sweet and clear flavours.
Part of this is due to the natural conditions. “Mantiqueira” means “mountains that cry” in the local Tupi language, so named for the quantity of springs and streams found on the hillsides. The mountains are lush and green with all this water, and the coffee grows under the close care of the Rio Verde Valley Coffee Growers Regional Cooperative (COCARIVE) and their three full-time agronomists.
TASTING NOTES
When approaching a Brazilian coffee, we expect notes of chocolate, caramel and roasted nuts. In the case of the Brazil Mantiqueira, these well loved notes bookend the cup – dark chocolate in the aroma, toffee and nuts in the finish. In the centre are flavours of sweet candy, fresh orange, and mild peach, with a clean apple acidity. Brighter notes come in the blackcurrant aroma and a touch of lime.
Together, these flavours and aromas create something both rich and fresh, like orange pieces dipped in chocolate, and peach and toffee crumble. It is this balance of sweetness and warmth that makes the Brazil Mantiquiera such a remarkable coffee.
When roasted for espresso, the dark chocolate notes come to the fore, along with the toffee sweetness and nutty finish. Roasted lighter for brewing as a filter coffee, the peach and orange star, in a bright yet delicate flavour profile, complex and candy sweet.
BREW RECOMMENDATIONS
Like all great Brazilian coffees, the Mantiqueira stands up beautifully under the pressure of an espresso machine. Whether you are adding milk or brewing black, the big body, full flavour and sweetness make this an excellent choice.
Dark chocolate, toffee and roasted nuts are lightened by the soft peach and orange notes. With the warmer weather coming through, serve it through the day over ice, topped up with the milk of your choice.
If you’re brewing by filter, natural coffees are lovely through a pourover – the apple/lime acidity lifts in the light roasted coffee and adds a spark to the silky body. Pour gently to enhance the sweetness, and keep the spout low and steady to extract the full flavour of the brew.
COFFEE CUPPING DETAILS
SCORE: 85/100
AROMA: dark chocolate, blackcurrant
FLAVOUR: candy, orange, peach
ACIDITY: apple, lime
BODY: silky
AFTERTASTE: toffee, nutty.