Brazil Cachoeira da Grama Yellow Bourbon - (Special screen-dried lot)

Country:

Brazil

Grade:

2/3s SS FC

Region:

Sao Paolo/Minas border area

Mark:

Fazenda Cachoeira, (Certified Organic for UK, not USA)

Processing:

Pulped Natural - Screen Dried

Crop:

January 2007 Arrival

Appearance:

.8 d/300gr, 17-18 screen

Varietal:

100% Yellow Bourbon, screen-dried in sun.

Dry Fragrance (1-5)

3.2

Notes: Fazenda Cachoeira has been in the Carvalho Dias family a short time ... just since 1890! Fazenda Cachoeira (it means waterfall, which is why their is more than one Cachoeira farm) is located in São Paolo State 3 miles from the border with Minas Gerais State. It enjoys the typical characteristics of the mountainous Sul de Minas regions that have made it the "heartland" of Brasilian coffee for amany decades. Gabriel de Carvalho Dias, the owner, is also one of the leading Brazil’s leading agronomists, an example of how it takes a very educated approach to tackle the challenges of organic coffee production. They recently celebrated their 106th crop, and recently their Organic coffees have acheived some recognition in the BSCA Brazil Late Harvest Competition, and it made the final rounds in the 06 Brazil CoE, placing 16 in the end. (Note that we cannot sell this coffee with "Organic" in the title, we discovered, because the certifying agency is authorized for the UK, not the USA). On this farm everything is done manually since its topography does not allow any kind of mechanisation as you might find in the flat Cerrado savanna terrain. With a total area of 417 hectares, Fazenda Cachoeira has a coffee area of 165 hectares, along woth other crops, ranch, and nature preserve. The dry mill is located in the spa town of Pocos de Caldas. The farm has other cultivars besides the Yellow Bourbon we offer here, but this is the most well-known. Organic Yellow Bourbon, a low-yield traditional cultivar grown using low-yield organic methods: its a formula for great potential quality but not a lot of coffee production! The Bourbon is prized for sweet balance in the cup, and rounded body; a great short description for this coffee.

A roast note: I based my comments on the lighter test roasts I did, but keep in mind that this coffee has a very wide roast "window" and that an FC+ roast or even light Vienna produces an excellent bittersweet chocolate cup! At C+ the cup has an attractive, savory sweetness, one one hand herbal and sagey/rosemary, on the other a sweet cedar. The rounded, balanced personality of this cup is its most striking aspect, with a really positive woodiness (not a woody flavor due to oldness!). I get cedar and mesquite, but balanced by a rustic honey/toffee sweetness, and pralined nuts. The mouthfeel is silky, and the aftertasted has a hint of tangerine, with lingering clean tobacco and cedar notes. I don't mean to characterize this as a Sumatra- its not a musty, funky coffee; it balances its rustic components with sweetness, and that's why it also makes a great S.O. espresso. This lot is late 06 harvest and export, and is a special 100% sun dried/ screen-dried lot. It outcupped the mechanical dried lot by a hair ... but an important hair; it has more sweetness and more body. Every hair counts!

Wet Aroma (1-5)

3.5

Brightness - Acidity (1-10)

8.3

Flavor - Depth (1-10)

8.4

Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)

4.4

Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)

8.4

Cupper's Correction (1-5)

0

Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild to Medium intensity / Balance, body, sweetness, rustic elements

add 50

50

Roast: City+ is the roast I described above but this lot excels under a wide variety of roasts, C+ to FC to Vienna

Score (Max. 100)

86.2

Compare to: Excellent balanced sweet Brasilian cup profile

Coffee Roasting & Brewing Log

Coffee Roasted: Brazil Cachoeira da Grama Yellow Bourbon - (Special screen-dried lot)

Roast Date:

02/04/07

Roaster:

Gene Cafe

Ambient Temp:

60º F, roasted in shop, used speed method

Roast Time:

3:30 PM

Roast Level:

City, City+, FC

General Notes:  See profile below.  FC=exquisite chocolate chomp.  Mixed them.

Batch Size:

230g

Total Roasted:

690g

Roasting Log

Batch #

1^st Crack

Roast Stopped

2^nd Crack

Roast

Stopped

Post-Roast

Weight (g)

Roasting Notes

Batch # 1

13:15

16:48

192

Outlier @13:15, done @15:00, roast stopped at intense chocolate aroma

Batch # 2

13:15

16:00

194

Batch # 3

12:50

15:00

196

Outlier @ 12:28 (rifle shot),

Batch # 4

13:15

16:45

192

Outlier @13:00,

Brewing Log

Date

Rested

Brew Method

Filter

Grind

Cupping Notes

02/06/07 

2 days

Technivorm

Swissgold

MM 7.5

 Still developing, but nevertheless, an enjoyable mild coffee with a hint of cedar, sweet

02/07/07

3 days

Technivorm

Swissgold

MM 7.5

 Very good mild coffee with some cedar sweetness, good aroma

02/08/07

4 days

Technivorm

Swissgold

MM 7.5

 A bit fuller bodied but not heavy, nice cedar, mild, enjoyable flavor and aroma

6 Days

Technivorm

Swissgold

MM 7.5

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

Time

Temp

Note

00:30

04:30

08:30

12:30

Drop

16:30

20:30

01:00

05:00

Bump

09:00

13:00

17:00

21:00

01:30

05:30

09:30

Bump

13:30

17:30

21:30

02:00

06:00

384

10:00

446

14:00

18:00

22:00

02:30

06:30

405

10:30

460

14:30

18:30

22:30

03:00

07:00

422

11:00

Bump

15:00

19:00

23:00

03:30

07:30

435

11:30

467

15:30

19:30

23:30

04:00

08:00

12:00

474

16:00

20:00

24:00