Sweet Maria's Coffee Cupping Reviews: Archive A

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Australia

Australian Mountain Top Peaberry
Country:	Australia	Grade:	Peaberry	Region:	New South Wales	Mark:	Mountain Top Estate
Processing:	Wet Process	Crop:	September 2005 Arrival (2004-2005 crop)	Appearance:	Peabery 16+ Screen	Varietal:	Bourbon-derived hybrid
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.0	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. PEABERRY UPDATE: We received a late crop shipment of Austrailan Mountain Top Estate Peaberry on October 1 2005. It is a later shipment than the flatbean, and has a unique cup character (more Indonesian-like than the flat bean. I think it makes a really great single-origin, single-Estate espresso too (FC+ to light Vienna roast ). I wasn't bowled over with the preparation of the green coffee, but I let the cup do the talking and it was really nice. Expect a little more character in the espresso shot for this cup, and I actually prefered a slightly shorter pull (18 to 10 seconds) . Anyway, this is a unique lot, the only Mountain Top PB in the US.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.0
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.3
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		3.1
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.4
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	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)		84.4	Compare to: Island coffee qualities in some regards, a sweet and straightforward cup that is, nonetheless, quite incomparabale.

Australian Mountain Top XF
Country:	Australia	Grade:	XF -Extra Fancy	Region:	New South Wales	Mark:	Mountain Top Estate
Processing:	Wet Process	Crop:	April 2005 Arrival	Appearance:	.7 d/300gr, 17-18 screen	Varietal:	Bourbon-derived hybrid
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.0	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. We will have a limited amount of Mountain Top this year and when this arrival is gone, that's it!
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.0
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.3
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		3.1
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)		85.4	Compare to: Island coffee qualities in some regards, a sweet and straightforward cup that is, nonetheless, quite incomparabale.

Bali

See the 2003-2004 Archive. 2005 Bali shipments to this point have not had good cup character.

Bolivia

Bolivia Organic Peaberry "De Montaña"
Country:	Bolivia	Grade:	SHG	Region:	Yungas Region, Central Cordillera	Mark:	Cert. Organic Cenaproc Co-op "de Montana"
Processing:	Wet-processed	Crop:	Jan 2006 arrival	Appearance:	1.4 d/300gr, Peaberry screen	Varietal:	All Typica
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.2	Notes: The Cenaproc Co-op has been doing such a good job with their coffees that it's almost unfair. They won the #1 spot in the Bolivian Coffee Competition in 2003 and 2004, and had multiple other lots in the Top 10. This co-op knows what they're doing, and while different lots have different cup characters (because they originate on the small farms of different coop members), the Cenaproc mill has nailed down the processing and preparation to maximize the cup quality for all their coffees. the "de Montaña" mark is simply their best Strictly High Grown coffees, and this peaberry lot was one of the few from the mill this year. In fact, we bought the whole thing in advance based on how well it has cupped in years past, and the arrival of the coffee more than fulfilled my hopes for it. For me, a great Bolivia is not a powerhouse coffee, it's a fragile, fragrant cup that deserves the tasters attention. The fragrance here is is sweet, but fairly mild at the City roast and FC roast I cupped. Wetting the grinds produces a delicate, temporary aroma, black tea-like with apple blossom accents to it! When the crust is broken (in the cupping process) a clear but fleeting floral fragrance escapes - just fantastic! These are the little things that make a coffee so seductive, even if they are so momentary. The cup has light body (matching light intensity cup character overall) and caramelly sweetness, and very floral character. Drinking a cup of flowers, a floral infusion ... that's what tasting this Bolivia is akin to. Now, if you want to roast this to Full City, or Full City +, you are going to get a darker, fruitier character from the cup. And I won't disuade you because this peaberry can accept a wide range of roasts and do well. I did not try a Vienna yet, but I do not doubt it will be quite good; very high grown, dense coffee seeds can tolerate the abuse. But for me, this is a City to City+ coffee at it's peak; light, crisp, crystal clear. If you get an off note here, clean your brewer!
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.4
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		9.0
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Movement (1-5)		2.9
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.8
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild / Aromatics, clean fruits
add 50		50	Roast: City to City + roast is my recommendation … you don't want to burden the sweetness and floral notes with dark roast notes. Then again, it is a forgiving coffee and Dark roasts work well too.
Score (Max. 100)		86.8	Compare to: A very Bolivian cup profile: light, sweet, floral, clean

Bolivia CoE 1st Place Lot - Calama Marca

A very, very limited offering ... The first place coffee from the Bolivia Cup of Excellence competition. Limit 1 lb per person. We divided this lot among a group of small roasters from Japan and the US, operating under the name of the Small Axe Co-op! Basically, each member got 1 bag of this expensive coffee. The winning farm was Calama Marca owned by Juan de Dios Blanco, with an International jury score of 93.52. This coffee is grown at 1200 meters, and is 100% Typica cultivar. The farm is very small; 11 hectares total. Here are some comments from Mr Blanco:

"I could not participate last year because I did not have the possibilities, and looking at my other partners participate was of encouragement for me to present my coffee sample which has improved since we have improved the harvest handling conditions; we have improved the post-harvest, drying and all that."

"And, well, now I am surprised ! I never thought of winning the first place, and that is why I tell to all my producer companions to never give up and that with a good work with love and dedication you can get a good result. I come from the Sajama Province of the Department of Oruro, I have lived here for more than 20 years and I have 4 children; 3 of them in school. The oldest is 15 years old. All of my children help me to pre-select, but it is my wife who sacrifices the most; she told me that it is the fruit of my work; she is the one that deserves the award. It was a dream for my family to participate, as well as for me, and at the end a very big surprise."

"I am planning on investing in the best possible way the money that comes to me from the sale of my coffee, specially to improve my family's livelihood, support more in my children's education as well as making some improvements in my household, I am also thinking of helping and assisting other farmers and showing them how to produce a better quality coffee." All of us, not only the coffee growers, must focus ourselves to work. Our leaders are too demagogic, they only oppose themselves; we can only achieve a greater success for Bolivia through work."

Cupping Comments: At City+ roast; sweet caramel fragrance, fruited hints; wet aromatics are very lively, with intense floral character, and sweet enough to make a cupper's mouth water!; the cup is delicate but complex with sweetly citric orange hints; the aftertaste is the same story, with an interesting relationship between sweetness, floral and citric aspects, and chocolate tang. Overall, the body is medium to light, and the cup is not super intense. I can only put it like this: these cup flavors do not come out and club you over the head screaming "notice me!" ... it kindly invites your exploration and interpretation.

Bolivia Organic Cenaproc Co-op "Peaberry"
Country:	Bolivia	Grade:	SHG	Region:	Yungas Region, Central Mtn. Range	Mark:	Cert. Organic, Cenaproc Co-op
Processing:	Wet-processed	Crop:	March 2005 arrival	Appearance:	.1 d/300gr, 50% Peaberry, 50% 16 screen blend	Varietal:	All Typica
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.5	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 in 2003. 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! Well, that was last year and in the first Bolivia Cup of Excellence Competition it was Cenaproc lots that dominated the top 10. This co-op knows what they're doing, and while different lots have different cup characters (because they originate on the small farms of different coop members), the Cenaproc mill has nailed down the processing and preparation to maximize the cup quality for all their coffees. I cupped some earlier Cenaproc arrivals that were nice, but a bit underacheiveing - this lot is what I expect from a really good Bolivian coffee though. The cup has sweet, clean aromatics laced with a sharp spiciness. I am initially impressed with the caramelly sweetness in the cup, but as it cools there are berry notes that emerge. And I like it at a darker roast when the darker fruits emerge (raisin, prune), This cup profile is an excellent option for those who like Central American coffees, but want to try something new. Like last year I added a 1 cuppers correction, because the lighter City roasts in particular are so impressive. We brewed this coffee in the shop and people could not decide if it was a really bright Huehuetenango or perhaps even a Ethiopian Yirgacheffe! The higher tones in the cup are that distinct! This lot is supposed to be peaberry, but in fact it is about 50% peaberry and 50% small flatbean. Well, the shape of the seed doesn't mean anything when it is roasted, ground and brewed, so I went ahead and cupped this lot out against the the other Bolivias we have offered and found it brighter, with a slight winey quality to the acidity - I liked it! So I put the "Peaberry" in quotes in the name.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		9.0
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Movement (1-5)		2.9
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.8
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. Dark roasts work well too.
add 50		50	Compare to: A very Bolivian cup profile: light, sweet, fruited, clean
Score (Max. 100)		86.8	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild / Aromatics, clean fruits

Brazil

Brazil Organic Camocim -Pure Bourbon
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	Estate	Region:	Pedra Azul, Espirito Santo	Mark:	Camocim Estate, Organic Cert.
Processing:	Pulped-Natural Process	Crop:	May 2006 Arrival	Appearance:	.6 d/300gr, 17+ Screen	Varietal:	100% Bourbon (Yellow)
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.6	Notes: If you read the Moka (Peaberry) review, I might be repeating part of this farm information: Camocim is an organic certified farm of some note in Brazil; every farmer I speak with from Cerrado to Sul de Minas knows of it, and their production is much sought-after. Camocim Farm is in Espirito Santo, a coastal state north of Rio and to the west of Minas Gerais. Camocim is a true Estate coffee that turned to organic production in 1999 under the ownership of Henrique Sloper Araujo. But the diverse environmental character of the farm, it's garden-like appearance, dates to the original owner in the '60s who planted exotic Pinus and Eucalyptus varieties, as well as Jacaranda. The farm is situated at 1100 meters and is near the famous Pedra Azul (Blue Mountain) monolith, a well-known land feature in Espirito Santo. Camocim coffee is unique in the processing too; they use no water in peeling the skin off the cherry, nor it removing the fruity mucilage from the parchment layer that coats the green bean. Once it is dried, they allow the coffee to "rest" (reposo) for 3 months, much longer than the average 20-30 days at most farms. The result can be seen in the green coffee: a variegated and ruddy appearance that might, to the neophyte, seem like a mark of low quality. It's not. In fact, we are paying a big premium for these coffees, partly for that extra restin g process that results in this odd, variegated appearance to the green coffee! This farm grows many cultivars, but this year we asked them to separate a small, pure-Bourbon lot for us. Bourbon is one of the most traditional arabica cultivars named after the isle of Bourbon (now Reunion) and know for high bean density and good roast characteristics. The trees produce less, which theoretically concentrates more positive flavor compounds into the fruit, into the green seed. This lot has a dynamic cup, brighter than the Moka or Jacu coffees. (In fact, it seemed as bright and vivid as a table of high grown El Salvador coffees I cupped alongside it - not many Brazils would hold up to that feat.) The dry grounds have that character I always look for: sweetness, in this case an almost buttery type. Add water and there is a clear floral-herbal scent: jasmine, sage blossom, and a malty sweetness. In the cup, the body and sweetness are at the forefront, with the sage flower aromatics come through as a secondary attribute in the finish. (Around now, any cupper would be convinced that the ruddy look of the green coffee was completely counter to the great cup quality). As the coffee cools, a honey graham cracker flavor comes to the foreground, and mild orangey notes can be detected.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.7
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.8
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.8
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		9
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0.5	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium intensity (brewed) / Brightness, sweetness, jasmine and sage
add 50		50	Roast: For brewed coffee I have best results at City + roast, for espresso a FC+ roast
Score (Max. 100)		87.9	Compare to: A refined, brighter cup than many Brazils. Please Note: This coffee has a very ruddy appearance due to the special "resting period" of the coffee in parchment.

Brazil Fazenda Boa Sorte Natural Bourbon
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	Estate	Region:	Campos Altos, Minas Gerais	Mark:	Boa Sorte Estate,
Processing:	Dry-Processed	Crop:	January 2007 Arrival	Appearance:	.6 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	100% Red Bourbon
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.4	Notes: Boa Sorte is a small coffee farm (fazenda) in south Minas Gerais state. I visited there a while ago and checked out the samples last year, but felt there were some improvements to make in the coffee and the processing. It is owned by a young couple, Bethania and Junior, and they have a lot of enthusiasm for improving the farm. It has good altitude for the region of Campos Altos, 1050 meters. They made improvements to their mill, sorting, and drying, and it really shows this year. What we have here is a separation of their 100% Bourbon cultivar trees (Bourbon, the traditional seedstock that was the first brought to the Americas from the East, originating on the Island of Bourbon, now known as Reunion). This is also traditional in another way: patio-dry-process coffee. In this, the whole cherry, picked red and fresh from the tree, is promptly laid out to dry on special patios at the mill. The result is heavy body, low acidity, fruited tones in the cup. It's a rustic profile overall: The lighter City roast has sweet, rustic fruity fragrance from the dry grounds nut hints, papaya, very winey fruit aroma. It seems like it might go over the edge, , become overly fruity, but doesn’t. There are suggestions of cardomom and fresh ginger. With a bit more roast there is a heavy, rustic chocolate aromatic with winey tones (think Scharffen-berger chocolate); totally different than City roast but not unexpected at all. Perhaps the FC+ roast is more what people expect from a true natural dry-process Brazil, and why it forms such a good espresso component, especially for the darker Southern Italian style espresso.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.6
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.1
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		4.5
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.6
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Bold intensity / Chocolate, fruit, wineyness
add 50		50	Roast: City+ to Full City++
Score (Max. 100)		86.8	Compare to: Traditional natural dry-process Brazil, and Bourbon to boot!

Brazil Flatbean -Brauna Estate
Country:	Brazil	Grade:		Region:	Araponga, Matas de Minas (Minas Gerais)	Mark:	Fazenda Brauna
Processing:	Pulped-Natural Process	Crop:	November 2006 arrival	Appearance:	2 d/300gr, Peaberry 16+ Screen	Varietal:	Catuai, Bourbon, Icatu
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.3	11/10/06: We previously had a peaberry of this same coffee. This shipment is flatbean - cup is virtually the same so the review remains unchanged. Notes: This coffee placed high in the Brazil Cup of Excellence competition in 2004 and I wasn't sure if it would still be available after that. (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.) Luckily, I have a friend in the Brazilian trade who looks out for us, and that's the only way I could get this coffee. The farm has been owned for years by the Schmölz family, 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. In brazil these are called CD coffees which means Cereja Descascada, or basically "Washed Cherry". 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). You can 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, or you can adjust the roast (a slower drum roast) and get a great 100% Brauna espresso. It is a fine single origin Brazil for drip/French press . The cup has sweet aromatics, almost a malty-sweet scent that follows through into the cup flavors. I get a cinnamon spice in the wet aroma too. The cup has a mild sweet orange brightness (and acidity rare in other Brasilian coffee but an intrinsic quality for coffees from the Araponga region of Matas de Minas). For me, this is one of the nicest straight-roast Brazils...				Joao and Afonse (pictured) run the farm, and their sister Marta does the books. A true family business. See my 2005 Brazil travelogue for more about Brauna
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.4
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.8
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.8
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.5
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild / Simple pleasant cup with nuttiness
add 50		50	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). I like this a tad lighter, at City +, because it has a nice sweet orange aspect at that roast.
Score (Max. 100)		86.3	Compare to: Very high quality Brazil of the Pulped Natural type (a cleaner cup profile than the Natural-Dry Brazils). It is mild, clean, and for a Brazil it has a distinct sweet cup. Note that this is new crop for 06/07 season, and I found a higher percentage of defects in this lot, although the cup character is outstanding. Per 300 grams, expect to see 2 defect beans (pod beans that are dark brown, easy to see, pick them out pre-roast)

Brazil Screen-Dried Moreninha Formosa
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	Estate	Region:	Serra do Salitre, Minas Gerais, Cerrado Mineiro	Mark:	Moreninha Formosa
Processing:	Dry-Processed on raised screens	Crop:	December 2006 Arrival	Appearance:	.6 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	Mundo Novo, Bourbon, Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.6	Notes: The Moreninha Formosa is from Serra do Salitre, a high plain in Cerrado Miniero, Minas Gerais state. It's the same micro-region where we bought the competition-winning natural dry process Fazenda Rio Paraná of Ricardo Torezan last year. At 1200 meters, the Serra do Salitre has better altitude than most of Cerrado proper, which averages 800-900 meters for coffee production. More importantly, this is a special dry-process done on raised beds ...well, screens, in the African tradition. This allows for dry air to circulate all around the coffee, evenly and thoroughly evaporating moisture from the ripe coffee cherry. And that's the second key here; ripe cherry. The owners of this mill advance 70% of the local price for coffee (based on the Brazilian coffee index ESALQ) to growers who deliver red cherry coffee to receiving stations. The reason for receiving coffee in the form of ripe cherry is to ensure uniform processing, and to avoid the defects that usually end up on the patios in typical dry-processing. Therefore, expertise in coffee preparation is offered to the growers, and guarantees the best coffee quality. The mill helps the individual growers maximize their return by actually using the coffee market to their advantage. At anytime producers can fix the price of their coffee. When this special lot sells at a better price in the international market as compared to the local price, the profits obtained will be split between the coffee producer and the processor. The cup is very rustic, fruited, chocolatey, and thick. I mean, this coffee has HUGE body, and the natural, somewhat earth-tones in the the flavor made me (for a second) do a double-take ... was this a natural Yemeni coffee? No, the flavor is quite different, but it has that level of exotic, "wild" character. I like this coffee fresh, within 72 hours of roasting, and felt that it became a little ashy as it aged. But this was also with short 8 minute sample roasts, and I feel that a proper drum roast, with slow warmup (ala Hottop or GeneCafe) will not drop off like this. I am off to test that now...
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.3
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.8
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		4.4
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.6
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Bold intensity / fruited, rustic, nutty, full-body
add 50		50	Roast: Full City to Full City+
Score (Max. 100)		87.2	Compare to: Great, fruited, natural dry-process Brazil - has Yemeni hints in respect to the fruit that results from this processing.

Brazil Carmo de Minas -Aprocam
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	17-18, 2/3, SS, FC	Region:	Carmo de Minas, Sul de Minas Gerais	Mark:	Aprocam, Fazenda do Sertao, Nazareth Dias Pereira
Processing:	Pulped-Natural Process	Crop:	Late March 2006 Arrival	Appearance:	.8 d/300gr, 17+ Screen	Varietal:	100% Yellow Catuai
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.3	Notes: The farm of Nazareth Dias Pereira is at 1300 meters; the region (Aprocam mountains, Carmo de Minas region, Sul de Minas Gerais state) is a premier growing region for specialty coffee. Her coffee placed high at the Cup of Excellence this year (the sister lot of this coffee is the #13 we bought, the only difference is this is Yellow Catuai and the CoE lot is Red Bourbon). Most significantly, this is the fourth year the coffee has made it to the CoE auction! But even more important is not the official accolades, it is the cup; this is one of the most deliciously seductive Brasilian coffees in my memory. (Remember that last year's Yellow Bourbon that flew outta here was from the same Coop too). It has more brightness than I expect from Brazils. It's sweet, very sweet at City+ roast, with a honey-like tone. And the City roast has some grape in the wet fragrance too, while darker roasts I intended for espresso still have some sweetness too, like dark molasses. This dense, high-grown bean really holds up in the darker roasts, more so than other Brazils, but it's the light roasts that amaze me on the cupping table. It's so softly rustic, but refined too, with apricot and banana in the finish. Perhaps more than any single quality aspect, this cup is extremely balanced, and all the flavors integrate so well. At the importers office, this was the first Brazil they had to score in the high 80s. I don't go that high, but if I put this coffee in an all-Brazil table, I think it would win out over all.				Carmo de Minas topography Ripe Yellow Catuai at Aprocam
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.2
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.6
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.7
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.7
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity (brewed) / Low-acidity, nuts, dusty sweetness.
add 50		50	Roast: For brewed coffee I have best results at a slower City + roast, for espresso a Full City + (just breaching 2nd crack without gaining any momentum.)
Score (Max. 100)		86	Compare to: Excellent Brazil of the Pulped Natural type (a cleaner cup profile than the Natural-Dry Brazils)

Brazil Organic Camocim -Yellow Icatu
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	17-18, 2/3, SS, FC	Region:	Pedra Azul, Espirito Santo	Mark:	Camocim Estate, Organic Cert.
Processing:	Pulped-Natural Process	Crop:	Late March 2006 Arrival	Appearance:	.8 d/300gr, 17+ Screen	Varietal:	100% Yellow Icatu
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.2	Notes: Espirito Santo is a coastal state north of Rio and to the west of Minas Gerais. In fact, it is not far from the Matas de Minas region where our Fazenda Brauna coffee Is grown. Espirito Santo has a lot of arabica production, but also has a good low altitude region in the northern part for robusta. That does not concern us though, and "good" is a relative term when speaking of robusta, especially the rancid Brasil Conilon type. Camocim is a true Estate coffee that turned to organic production in 1999 under the ownership of Henrique Sloper Araujo. But the diverse environmental character of the farm, it's garden-like appearance, dates to the original owner in the '60s who planted exotic Pinus and Eucalyptus varieties, as well as Jacaranda. The farm is situated at 1100 meters and is near the famous Pedra Azul (Blue Mountain) monolith, a well-known land feature in Espirito Santo. The farm grown Catucai, Yellow Bourbon, Icatu and Catuai, and our pre-ships of these coffees have been great ... unfortunately last years lot was delayed in transit, and arrived in terrible condition. I cupped it. I rejected it. This year, the Red Catuai lot had similar problems, and was loaded with something roasters call "foxy beans" - coffee with loads of red-tinted silverskin attached to them hinting at the fact the coffee was too old on the tree, or sat too long before being pulped. We rejected it (based on the cup, not the appearance). But this Yellow Icatu cultivar was a different story. It is all about nuts and chocolate here, qualities that remind one of dry-processed Brasils. From dry fragrance through aftertaste, it is milk chocolate and almond-hazelnut flavors with a striking sweet-bittersweet alternating character. I prefered FC to FC+ roast to bring out these qualities, and while they are dependent on this level of roast, my C+ roast had them in abundance too. It's more of a rustic cup than the brighter Carmo de Minas offerings, and I find fruited (apple) hints in the cup, turning rustic and rooty in the aftertaste. Perhaps it is this rustic side, paired with above average body, that makes me think of a really good natural Brasil coffee.				Senor Olivar, who switched Camocim to organic production The famous local landmark: Pedra Azul
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.2
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.2
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.5
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.6
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.3
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		0	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium intensity (brewed) / Low-acidity, nuts, dusty sweetness.
add 50		50	Roast: For brewed coffee I have best results at Full City + roast, for espresso a Vienna
Score (Max. 100)		85	Compare to: Natural dry-processed Brasil, even though this is a pulped natural. Note the unusual appearance of this coffee? Camocim ages coffee in parchment longer than any other producer to give more sweetness, chocolate and body. That is why it cups more like a natural dry-processed Brasil coffee.

Brazil Mogiana WP Decaf
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	SS, FC	Region:	Mogiana	Mark:
Processing:	Dry-processed, then decaf by Water Process	Crop:	April 2006 Arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 17 scr	Varietal:	Bourbon, Icatu
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		2	Notes: Decaf Brazil is a fairly neutral cup, and its main use is for decaf espresso blends. It adds body and is a good "backdrop" in terms of roast taste. A backdrop coffee fills out the background of the cup and does not interfere with your "highlight" coffees, the ones that are going to be the exclamation point of your cup character. If you want earthiness in the cup, a Sumatra or Sulawesi can do this for you and provide body. But if you are not trying to develop an earthy "wild" blend, but want a cleaner espresso cup, then Brazil is very useful. It has great espresso use to create low-CAF or decaf blends with body and depth. If you like a very soft espresso cup, you will enjoy this Brazil as a straight decaf espresso (its a bit too mild for me). This Mogiana-region coffee is a traditional Brazilian dry-process coffee. What's that mean? Dry-process means that the rip coffee cherry is picked by hand, laid out on patios to dry and then the outer pod and inner parchment layers are removed in one milling process to reveal the green coffee seed. But the old traditional Brazilian dry-process was dried on the tree, not on a patio! When a coffee is 100% tree-dried it can be too wild and have unpleasant off flavors. So before decaffeinating this coffee originates with a good lot of coffee, and the new water processor in Mexico that is producing decafs with more origin character than the previous SWP sources, and this cup really surpasses the Brazil Santos SWP decaf that we previously stocked in the 2000-2002 crop years. Although the aromatics are low, I add a 2 for cupper's correction because this is an excellent "special purpose" coffee. We stock this especially for use in espresso blending. Use for a lo-caf espresso blend base. Produces great crema, and a great neutral roast taste as a backdrop for your caffeinated grace note coffees in the blend (Yemeni, Harar, Etc). The shots I have pulled with 100% Brazil WP decaf were very nice too, but would not cut through milk in cappuccino etc very well. Of course, if you make your cap correctly (1.5 oz espresso and a maximum of 4 oz milk) it will do fine. If you need an all-decaf espresso I would recommend 60% Brazil decaf, 20% of an Indonesian decaf like Sumatra, and 20% of a Central American decaf or Mexican decaf.
Wet Aroma (1-5)		2
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		7
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		7.5
Body - Movement (1-5)		5
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		7	Roast: Best character emerges in the roast tastes, caramelly and mildly pungent. For this, roast 10 to 30 seconds into the 2nd crack, also a great range for Northern Italian style espresso.
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Compare to: A non-chemical water process coffee that out-cups the previous SWP Santos and lends great body to blends.
Add 50		50
Score (Max. 100)		81.5	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild / Clean and neutral

Brazil Cerrado 5th Place -Fazenda Pantano
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	Cerrado Competition Graded	Region:	Coromandel, Cerrado, Minas Gerais	Mark:	5th Place Semi-washed Process, Rodrigo Aparecido Martins
Processing:	Semi-Washed Process (Eco-Washed)	Crop:	January 2006 Arrival	Appearance:	.2 d/300gr, 17-18 screen	Varietal:	Mundo Novo, Icatu, Bourbon
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3	Notes: This Brasil lot differs from the other 2 we purchased in the 2005 Cerrado Coffee Competition I attended late last year in Brazil. This is a semi-washed coffee, which means that it is picked as ripe red cherry, taken to the mill and depulped/demucilaged. Then it is laid on the patio to dry (or perhaps on raised screens in the African style for "air drying"). The result is a cleaner cup style, with brighter notes and a lighter body. You might also note that this is the processing used for literally ALL of the finalists in the Cup of Excellence in Brasil for the past 5 years, and is the method endorsed by Illy. And I must say, having cupped all the Brasil CoE lots and bid in the competition, my opinion is that this Fazenda Pantano coffee would have done VERY well. It is clean, sweet, and full of secondary cup flavors (the ones I always describe as "hints" and "aspects" and such). The farm is run by Rodrigo Aparecido Martins and is located in the Coromandel area of Cerrado. The cup does not have tons of dry fragrance (I noted the sweetness though) but comes to life with water; the wet aroma is floral and laced with citrus rind. Cup flavors are similar, with rose-like floral notes, orange citric qualities and a light, malty sweetness. The finish is clean, honeyed, and has the same persistent orange notes and malted sweets. It's good, and is a different style of Brazil than the naturals. For this, it needs a lighter roast treatment, even as light as City roast although I found City+ to be optimal. As I roasted toward Full City, some of these delicate citrus and floral notes were diminished but I did enjoy a hazelnut/almond roast taste that came up. You can certainly roast darker, or use as an espresso base at a light Vienna, but expect a different cup than described here (as Vienna espresso it was tangy, with a citric hint, and with good bitter chocolate flavors.)
Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.8
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.5
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		9
Body - Mouthfeel (1-5)		3
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.4
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Mild intensity / Delicate sweetness and floral notes
add 50		50	Roast: City+ is ideal for the cup I describe, see the description about darker roasts.
Score (Max. 100)		86.7	Compare to: Clean, brighter Brasils, in league with the top 10 Cup of Excellence Lots, I firmly believe.

Brazil Cup of Exc. #13 Nazareth Dias Pereira
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	CoE finalist	Region:	Carmo de Minas area, Sul de Minas Gerais	Mark:	Brazil Cup of Excellence 2006, 13th Place, Nazareth Dias Pereira, Fazenda do Sertao
Processing:	Pulped-Natural Process	Crop:	Late March 2006 Arrival	Appearance:	.2 d/300gr, 17-18 Screen	Varietal:	100% Red Bourbon
Dry Fragrance (1-5)		3.4	Notes: We are lucky this year: lucky to get a great Brazilian CoE lot, and lucky to be able to buy even more coffee from this exact same producer, Nazareth Dias Pereira. It's a chance to compare Red Bourbon coffee entered into the CoE competition and the Catuai cultivar the farm produces. Yes, we are lucky because both are amazing, sweet Brasil coffees. As I have said before, my personal top coffee from the auction is often not the 1st or 3rd or 5th place, and it is true again - lucky 13th was my favorite. When you consider that there are 800 or so entrants in the CoE, and how many times each lot must make it through the National and then International juries, #13 is damn good. In fact, all the top 30 that make the auction are exemplary coffees. Perhaps most significant of all, this is the fourth time Nazareth has made the finals. The farm is about 800 hecatres with 210 in production with coffee and more than that dedicated to raising prized Girolando cattle! Thirty-four families reside on the farm, a total of approximately 145 people, in houses assigned by the farm at no cost to its employees, all with running water and electricity, where they receive a salary above the Brazilian minimum wage, milk, coffee, transportation and medicine. In the farm there is a municipal public school, and it is also enrolled in the government Family Health Program. There is a phone line for the employees, a soccer field for them to practice sports and a reservoir where they can fish. Okay, I haven't been there, I stole all that from the CoE farm description. The point being ... this is an established, well-organized farm! Now, let's forget the soccer, the fisshing and the cattle ---to the cup! For me, the most striking character of this coffee is sweetness ... a rustic sweetness that pervades from fragrance and aroma through aftertaste. Dry grounds are highly fragrant and have a toasted malt quality with light mollasses and graham cracker hints. The wet aroma. Cup flavors have a strong jasmine tea character from initial sip through the long aftertaste. During the cupping process, breaking the crust results in a momentary, intense red pepper aroma! There are orange hints with a bit of rindy zest, and as mentioned, that rustic, honeyed sweetness paired with malty grain flavors. Brightness is quite high for Brazil, bringing the whole cup into balance from the high note through the tenor range - darker roasts bring out deeper roasty flavors and chocolate bittersweets. But I highly recommend a true City+ roast, stopped after 1st crack concludes plus a few seconds. At this stage, you won't have surface color or texture evenness, but we don't roast coffee to enter it in whole bean beauty contests, we drink this stuff. My suggestion is to forget about roast appearance, and try for a City+ to expreience the full "origin flavor" glory of this coffee; you can always shoot for a toned-down chocolatey cup with a Full City or FC+ roast next time around.				Fazenda Sertao, Nazareth dias Pereira The Historic Farmhouse
Fazenda Sertao Wet Aroma (1-5)		3.5
Brightness - Acidity (1-10)		8.7
Flavor - Depth (1-10)		8.7
Body - Movement (1-5)		3.5
Finish - Aftertaste (1-10)		8.8
Cupper's Correction (1-5)		1	Intensity/Prime Attribute: Medium intensity (brewed) / Sweetness, Jasmine flavor, Balance, Brightness
add 50		50	Roast: City + roast,see the description for more
Score (Max. 100)		87.6	Compare to: Exemplary Brasilian coffee ... for me, as good as it gets. The CoE Internatiional jury scored this 87.22. It is rare I score above the CoE jury (I am very tight on my scoring) but the overall cup quality here, the straightforward desireability of this cup, compells me give it a +1 cupper's correction.

Brazil Fazenda Ipanema "Dulce"
Country:	Brazil	Grade:	16+, 2/3, SS, FC	Region:	Sul de Minas	Mark:	Ipanema, Utz Kapeh/BSCA certified
Processing:	Natural Dry-Process	Crop:	late February 2006 arrival	Appearance:	0 d/300gr, 16+ Screen