Crown Jewel Brazil Pedralva Sebastião Alexandre da Silva Macerated Natural Red Catuaí CJ1549 – 32475-1 – SPOT RCWHSE

Taste

Taste Analysis by Chris Kornman

This is a charming, sweet coffee with excellent cup quality and a unique twist on Brazil’s classic natural style of processing, using a brief anaerobic maceration prior to cherry drying.

Perhaps the most resonant note many of us got during tastings of this coffee from Sul de Minas is that it reminded us of ice cream. Various flavors and iterations of the dessert crossed our paths, and its lush decadence is an easy note to pick out and carries the rest of the flavor experience, anchoring it in the familiar sweet textures and flavors of churned and frozen cream.

A surprising amount of citrusy acidity is also present, making this millennial recall childhood orange creamsicle which, as has happened with so many other flavors of my youth, has apparently now been converted into a cocktail. Whichever way you prefer it served, it’s not hard to see the flavorful connection to this offering from Santa Catarina.

Buttery in body and clean in finish, the coffee offers up a few subtle reminders of its Brazilian origins – we noted marzipan-like qualities (surely near the top shelf of the nut butters) and sweet white tea-like notes and hits of fresh basil.

Source

Source Analysis by Chris Kornman with Mayra Orellana-Powell 

The second in a suite of Brazilian coffees, each new to the Crown Jewel line for 2024, this “macerated natural” is a Carmo Coffee selection, an exporter and family coffee business under the guidance of Luiz Paulo Pereira. 

This selection is from a farm called Santa Catarina, a 70-acre estate (with just 12 acres of coffee) owned and managed by Sebastião Alexandre da Silva, located near Pedralva a little to the southwest of the city of Carmo de Minas. 

Da Silva delivered his coffee cherry to nearby mill Pedra Branca, where under the experienced care of the workers there the ripe fruit is transformed. Sebastião’s is careful to selectively pick and deliver ripe cherries to the mill where this Red Catuai is washed and floated to remove damaged and less dense seeds, then sealed in airtight barrels and macerated for 24 hours before the drying process begins. Cherries are gently dried on raised beds to reduce moisture to 11 percent and then carefully stored until it is time for milling and export. 

Minas Gerais is the largest of the three major Brazilian growing regions with six micro-regions, which account for 50 percent of Brazil’s production. Typically thought of for quantity, not quality, the Carmo Coffee family and extended network have set out to undermine this expectation. Located in the Sul de Minas quadrant, known for its rolling hills and uneven terrain lending to farms that are small to medium in size, where hand-harvesting is the norm and not the exception. 

Carmo de Minas and Pedralva are located in the Serra da Mantiqueira mountain range, peaks spanning from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, and the slopes that fall within the borders of the vast bread-basket state of Minas Gerais are known under an “Indication of Origin” as the “Mantiqueira de Minas.” The region is the epicenter of some of Brazil’s most exceptional coffees and award-winning coffee farms.     

The word Mantiqueira is derived from a Tupi phrase meaning “crying mountains.” The range is rife with natural springs, including Carmo’s neighboring city of São Lourenço, where the water bursts forth from the earth, mineral-rich and effervescent. The abundance of fresh water in the region is uncommon in many Brazilian production zones, and combined with distinctive elevations, terrain unsuitable for mechanical harvesting, and smaller-than-average estates, the perfect ingredients exist in Carmo de Minas for exceptional coffees. 

Green

Green Analysis by Isabella Vitaliano

The water activity and moisture content are especially low in this coffee, indicative of great drying practices and a promising shelf life. Paired with the moderately low density and it being a natural coffee, take extra care of this in the roaster so that it doesn’t take off!

The variety type is Catuaí, a descendant of the Bourbon family known for its round shape and higher yields. Mundo Novo, a naturally occurring Typica-Bourbon hybrid was intentionally crossed with Caturra to create Catuaí. Its development began in the 1940s and it was released for commercial cultivation in Brazil in the 1970s.

Diedrich IR-5

Diedrich IR-5 Analysis by Doris Garrido 

Being a natural process and a low density coffee from Brazil, I started to build the roasting plan relying on a slow start. The sample roast tasted clean, buttery, spiced, and with a touch of complex chocolate. With that information, I decided to charge 400F and 50% airflow and wait for the turning point to decide on the gas applications.

I wanted to do around 5 minutes of drying which led me to apply 70% gas until just after the color change. 

At 313F, I lowered the gas to 45% and immediately to 30%. With this gas setting, I went from 30 degrees per minute rate of change to 13 degrees per minute at first crack. This coffee had a quiet crack at the beginning but was sufficiently noticeable. I maxed out the airflow lever to 100% before the first crack and then gradually reduced the rate of change. I dropped the coffee at 398F in 1:27 minutes. 

Overall, I spent 5:10 minutes on drying, 3:49 on yellowing, and 1:27 on post-development, a total time of 10:26. 

I ended with a delightful clean, buttery, and creamy cup with fresh basil, navel orange, orange creamsicle, orange juice, toffee, raisin, and a slightly sweet herbal taste.  

aillio bullet r1

Aillio Bullet R1 IBTS Analysis by Evan Gilman 

Unless otherwise noted, we use both the roast.world site and Artisan software to document our roasts on the Bullet. You can find our roast documentation below, by searching on roast.world, or by clicking on the Artisan links below.  

Generally, we have good results starting our 500g roasts with 428F preheating, P6 power, F2 fan, and d6 drum speed. Take a look at our roast profiles below, as they are constantly changing! 

Just so you don’t have to, I threw caution to the wind with this Brazil. I’m used to holding back for Brazilian coffees due to their reputation as being less dense, and in need of a gentler touch than some of our higher-grown coffee friends.  

I started with the usual P9 and F2 settings, a charge temperature of 473F, and a generous D7 drum speed on this 500g batch. However, I decided to back off before hitting peak rate of change, and reduced to P8 and F3 to slow my roll a bit. At yellowing, I backed off further to P7, but let F3 fan keep pulling air through the drum gently until a little more than halfway through the roast. Before crack, I reduced heat to P6, then increased fan to F5 after crack to really pull out any smoke that was in the drum. I did achieve a gentle slope of rate of change, at least as a best-fit line, but this was a decently aggressive roast, especially for a Brazil. That said, the results were not too shabby! 

Distinct almond paste flavor really popped; one of my very favorite types of croissants came to mind. Gentle apricot, heavy cream texture, and a hint of something herbal like tarragon made this cup interesting. This is a very confectionary coffee. I’d recommend it with dessert, or simply anytime if you have a sweet tooth like me. Chug at will.  

You can follow along with my roast here at roast.world: 

https://roast.world/egilman/roasts/DDqFevPZTWkZ8I85Pk4Br

Ikawa Pro V3

Ikawa Pro V3 Analysis by Isabella Vitaliano

Our current Ikawa practice compares two sample roast profiles, originally designed for different densities of green coffee. The two roasts differ slightly in total length, charge temperature, and time spent between color change in first crack. You can learn more about the profiles here.

The team at Carmo is helping redefine what Brazil can offer to the specialty coffee industry. This natural coffee certainly plays into that narrative in its cup quality and soft but nuanced profile.

The low-density roast is like a pineapple, orange juice, pearlike fruit jamboree. This roast was a touch toasty but certainly interesting and compelling in its sweetness and complex acidity.

The high-density roast nurtured more flavors of grapefruit juice. The profile was noticeably softer but good and interesting in a different way. The cup was lower in sweetness and tea-like in body compared to the low-density cup.

We suggest the light density profile for this coffee on the Ikawa roast. It will give you a proper baseline of flavors this coffee can offer. As you move onto your production roast and you can keep in mind that you can go a bit gentler for a larger batch size to remove some of the darker tones (if you would prefer that). This gentle natural Brazil is sure to sneak its way into your mugs and into your hearts!

You can roast your own by linking to our profiles in the Ikawa Pro app here:

Roast 1: Low Density Sample Roast

Brew

Brew Analysis by Taylor Brandon  

Although this brew analysis was short and sweet, we were able to find a big flavor quickly. This coffee prefers a finer grind and high dose to bring forth flavors of raspberry, milk chocolate, and hazelnut. The first brew was done on a Kalita Wave with a grind of 10 and a dose of 19 grams of coffee. With an extraction rate of 17.5%, this coffee would be deemed underextracted but it presented a round body and flavors of Black tea, orange peel, and fine milk chocolate. The orange/lime citrus in this brew was a standout!  

I went with a finer grind of 8 for the second brew, still keeping with the Kalita Wave. A high TDS of 1.58 was achieved, and it was phenomenal. A bit deeper with notes of cinnamon, as well as cherries and cream. There was a fudginess to it that bid well with the team and was by far my favorite brew. For the last brew, we achieved a cleaner cup using the V60 and a grind of 9. We kept that beautiful citrus but went a bit more earthy with notes of basil and rooibos tea. This Brazil is a great addition to the Crown Jewels!  

Espresso

Espresso Analysis by Alisha Rajan

In the vein of subverting expectations of typical Brazilian coffees, this macerated natural Red Catuai from the Santa Catarina Estate shines brightly. Carrying forth in its flavor the effervescence and earthiness of the mountainous Minas Gerais region, the espresso combines a delectable creaminess with a bouquet of florals and notes of bright green apples and peaches.

The journey through the espresso analysis yielded vastly distinct flavor qualities for each shot that was pulled. At a lower dose (17-18g range, yield about 35g in 30s), a strong malic acid/green apple was the predominant flavor note. As we increased the dose to 18.5g plus range, we noticed more malty and creamy milk chocolate, as well as a surprisingly pleasant floral element.

My favorite shot, dosed at 19.0g, with a yield of 36g extracted at 35 seconds, was undeniably the most floral and interesting of the bunch. With strong aromas of jasmine and lavender, this shot surprised us with its strawberry candy, dark chocolate, and hint of nuttiness. A nostalgic blend of flavors, to say the least!

Another notable shot, dosed at 19.5g, with a yield of 38g extracted at 30s, brought forth a beautiful array of strong nuttiness and dried fruit. With predominant flavors of almond and peanut butter along with dried apricot and candied peach, this one was a delight!

Overall, this Red Catuai from Brazil is beautifully balanced. The predominant notes of bright candied peach and strawberry, mixed in with flavors of chocolate peanut butter ice cream, is sure to evoke nostalgic sentiments and a memorable tasting experience.