Overview
This is a macerated natural coffee from Sul de Minas, Brazil, grown by Sebastião Alexandre da Silva on his farm Fazenda Santa Catarina.
The flavor profile is creamy and sweet, with notes of candied peach, orange creamsicle, marzipan, and fresh basil.
Our roasters found low charge temperatures and slower drying and color change stages benefit the coffee’s natural creaminess and sweetness.
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.
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 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.
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
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.
