Brazil produces more coffee by volume than any other country in the world. While the majority of its crop is commodity-grade coffee used as the base for familiar, predictable espresso blends, in recent years we’ve been lucky enough to try some fantastic Brazilian specialty lots, many of which were provided to us by the experts at Rosetta Roastery. This particular lot comes from Sitio Cachoeirinha, a farm located in Brazil’s Mantequiera de Minas region, in the southern part of the state of Minas Gerais.

Located on the northern edge of the Serra da Mantiqueira mountain range, Minas Gerais is generally characterised by rugged terrain, a tropical climate, and high altitudes, including some of Brazil’s tallest mountains, such as Pedra da Mina (with a peak of 2,798 masl) and Pico das Agulhas Negras (with a peak of 2,787 masl). The southern area of the state (where Sitio Cachoeirinha is located) is hilly and green, and is where most coffee production in the region is concentrated. ~56,000 hectares of the mountainous region is planted with coffee, and in 2020 Minas Gerais was the largest producer of Arabica coffee in Brazil, responsible for 74% of the national total.

Most of the ~8,200 producers in Minas Gerais are smallholders who run family farms. Claudia Roberta de Oliviera, comes from a family of coffee producers, and began her own work in coffee farming on her family’s plots at a young age. She now owns and operates Sitio Cachoeirinha with her husband. In 2019 they joined AMECAFÉ, a coffee cooperative located in Mantiqueira that connects and supports women in coffee. Interestingly, the Sitio Cachoeirinha almost exclusively produces natural coffees.

Phaedon's tasting notes

I just had a good chuckle. I try to only read our roasters' flavour notes after I've done my trial brews and noted down my own perceptions. Who would have thought that we would both land on silky for this coffee?! But silky, it definitely is. I'd go so far as to say that the mouthfeel and texture of this coffee is one of its most interesting qualities. It has more than just that going on though; I also enjoyed the flavours of toasted nuts, and I thought I picked up a little hint of dried fruit to accompany them. It all combines for a fairly full-bodied, and easy to enjoy flavour profile. I think it will be a crowd pleaser.

Rosetta Roastery's notes

Style: Progressive
Flavour profile: Silky, toasted pink marshmallow, chocolate ganache

“Tailoring a roasting profile to a coffee's specific origin and processing method, brings out its best qualities. Considering its lower density, as a naturally processed lot from a lower altitude farm, we started with a lower charge temperature and gradually applied heat. A shorter development time, being mindful of its more delicate structure, is key to preserving and emphasising this coffee’s cherished fruit quality.”

Coffee details from Rosetta

“Sitio Cachoeirinha is located near Lambari in the Mantiqueira de Minas region. Managed by Claudia Roberta de Oliveira and her husband, Jeferson Moisés Júnior Silva, the 6.5 hectare farm primarily cultivates Red and Yellow Catuai varieties. Despite early financial challenges and a devastating hailstorm in 2017, the couple has revitalised their farm through perseverance and hard work. Their coffee, nurtured in Mantiqueira de Minas' ideal climate and fertile soil, is known for its balanced, complex flavours with notes of chocolate ganache, toasted marshmallow and clean, soft fruit florals.”

• Altitude: 1200 - 1350 masl
• Processing: Natural
• Variety: Red Catuai
• Region: Mantiqueira de Minas
• Country: Brazil
• Producers: Claudia Roberta de Oliveira of Sitio Cachoeirinha
• Harvest: 2023