Tasting time: Mantiqueira Amarelo, Brazil

Beautiful big Yellow Bourbon beans

The Serra de Mantiqueria mountains run for 320km across Southeastern Brazil, through Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janiero. The Mantiqueria de Minas region, which is in the state of Minas Gerais, was the first in the Brazilian coffee business to get a geographical indication (supported and developed by BSCA). With 25 counties in the region and 7,800 farmers, 89% of whom are smallholders, this development, similar to “terroir” in the wine business, is changing how people see specialty coffee from Brazil.

With an area of 69,500 hectares and an elevation range of 900 to 1,500 metres above sea level, Yellow Bourbon cultivars predominate over the more common red varieties. All coffees must get at least 84 SCA points to qualify for the denomination, and many qualify for Brazil’s late harvest Cup of Excellence.

Brazilian Coffee Yellow Bourbon

We are experimenting with this Mantiqueria Amarelo produced by the Ascarive (Associação Dos Cafeicultores do Vale do Rio Verde), part of the larger Cocarive co-operative. By their very nature, the producers they partner with are tiny, family-run businesses. Ascarive places a strong emphasis on excellence in quality in order to obtain better prices, and  pushes its suppliers to produce as sustainably as possible and protect their natural environment. Ascarive has grown to be a powerful force in speciality Brazilian coffees thanks to access to the Cocarive Co-operative’s global exports and consistent entries in the Cup of Excellence awards.

Coffee growing region Brazil

Hand-picked, naturally processed

The coffee is grown at high altitude, between 900m and 1250 metres above sea level. Higher altitude coffee is usually hand-picked as the unforgiving terrain isn’t very amenable to mechanisation or machinery.  The harvest runs from June to September. After being picked, the coffee is processed on the farm through dry milling before being transported to the Cocarive warehouse just outside of So Lourenço.

We love the chocolate, hazelnut and plum notes in these beautiful big Yellow Bourbon beans. We think you will too. Watch this space.