Brazilian Coffee Cost Analysis & Premium Single-Origin Coffee Bean Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee · Brazil Fazenda Rainha Natural Yellow Bourbon

Coffee Information

Country: Brazil, Region: São Paulo state near São Sebastião da Grama

Estate Name: Fazenda Rainha (Queen's Estate)

Owner: Regina Helena Mello de Carvalho Dias, belongs to the Carvalho Dias family

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Processing: Hand-picked, then semi-natural processing

Origin: Brazil Fazenda Rainha (Mogiana) region

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Altitude: 1400-1950m

Processing Method: Natural

Flavor: Sweet and clean taste. The semi-natural processing brings out a bright acidity that harmonizes beautifully with sweetness, with some batches exhibiting tropical fruit aromas.

Estate Introduction

This semi-natural Yellow Bourbon coffee from FrontStreet Coffee comes from Brazil's Fazenda Rainha (Queen's Estate). The estate covers 280 acres and is situated in Brazil's ancient volcanic valley, Vale da Grama.

In 2011, the estate won first place in Brazil's Cup of Excellence competition. Fazenda Rainha is owned by the renowned and respected coffee family Carvalho Dias family. The family's four major estates have consistently won awards since the first Brazil Cup of Excellence competition in 1999, winning more than 12 times over 7 years. In 2004, they even swept first place, ninth place, and eleventh place, among many Brazilian estates of various sizes that hope to win awards but find it difficult to achieve.

Over the years, while many estates have hoped to qualify for awards without success, this family's estates have consistently taken home multiple awards. Even the current Fazenda Rainha has an impressive record: 2nd place in 2000, 3rd place in 2001, 29th place in 2005. To date, Fazenda Rainha has won awards three times.

The Carvalho Dias family are also founding members of the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association, and their commitment to coffee quality and environmental protection is evident to all. On their family farms, they utilize natural waterfalls to develop pollution-free hydroelectric power, becoming self-sufficient in electricity needs (another award-winning estate in the family is named after this waterfall - the Waterfall Estate). They have built churches, classrooms, nurseries, medical stations, insist on maintaining original native forests and continuous reforestation... Taking Fazenda Rainha as an example, environmental protection is quite thorough. Due to its higher altitude and non-flat terrain, machines cannot be used for harvesting - all fruits are harvested entirely by hand. They also plant low-yield, high-quality Bourbon varieties, making it a representative estate of premium Brazilian coffee beans!

Fazenda Rainha's Coffee Processing System

Mature cherries are hand-picked into cloth bags to avoid falling to the ground. Coffee cherries harvested on the same day are always sent to the estate's processing facility on the same day for semi-natural processing (Pulped Natural). Using hand-picking and cloth bags for post-harvest coffee cherries avoids earthy flavors and any improper fermentation. When these harvested coffee cherries arrive at the processing facility, they immediately undergo "washing": the coffee cherries are washed clean, and unqualified or dried fruits are filtered out according to bean size (bóia beans). The qualified beans that pass screening continue to the pulping process (using a pulper machine).

The estate has 200 acres of Yellow Bourbon coffee trees. The rolling mountains make large-scale mechanical harvesting impossible, so all coffee here requires manual harvesting.

The estate uses natural/semi-natural processing methods. The semi-washed method involves drying on drying racks and baking in dryers. After mechanical screening, manual screening is also required. The large amount of work requires farm employees to live on the farm year-round. All employees and their families can enjoy benefits in housing, healthcare, and education here.

The estate is a member of a medium-sized farm organization in the local Grama Valley, primarily exporting Bourbon variety specialty coffee. The organization's office is located in nearby Pocos de Caldas, and they also have a national cupping laboratory equipped with large warehouses. The organization also collaborates with local universities and other institutions on research, including Lavras University - the famous Dr. Flavio Borem comes from this university's agricultural research center.

Fazenda Rainha Award Records:

• 2014 COE Cup of Excellence 13th Place
• 2013 COE Cup of Excellence 2nd Place
• 2012 COE Cup of Excellence 8th Place
• 2011 COE Cup of Excellence Champion
• 2010 COE Cup of Excellence 20th Place
• 2009 COE Cup of Excellence 6th Place
• 2008 COE Cup of Excellence 14th Place

Related Knowledge

The Cup of Excellence (COE) program and trademark are currently owned and managed by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), a non-profit organization based in the United States. ACE works with COE program (cupping competition) host countries each year to complete cupping screening and online auctions of specialty coffee, while also recommending and promoting anything related to coffee quality improvement. The purpose is to select exemplary specialty coffees in host countries and exchange experiences for industry learning.

This bean is 100% Yellow Bourbon variety, and its genetic source can be traced back to Reunion Island, the birthplace of Bourbon. In the 18th century, French explorers first brought coffee here, so this variety also has another name: French Missionary. In the 20th century, it was brought to the African continent and then introduced to Brazil. Its derived varieties are now widespread throughout Africa and the Americas. Bourbon grown in Brazil shows yellow fruit due to its recessive genes.

Brazil Fazenda Rainha Green Bean Analysis

This bean's processing uses Brazil's invented Cereza descascado method (depulped method). This natural processing method, similar to honey processing, makes the coffee flavor more well-rounded, with effects between washed processing and full natural processing. In the process, a small amount of water is first used to remove pulp and skin, then the coffee is placed directly on drying racks for sun-drying, during which it is constantly turned to ensure all coffee comes into contact with sunlight. After several days of drying, mechanical drying is performed to achieve appropriate moisture content.

The processed coffee beans have relatively stable properties and can be stored for a long time. The moisture content is low, and the coffee beans are relatively large, with 98% of beans reaching size 16 or above, and half reaching size 18.

Brazil's grading system classifies based on defect ratio, size, flavor, and taste scores, and is an independent grading system more complex than other countries. For example, "Brasil Santos NY 2 SC17/18 SS FC" - NY2 is the defect ratio grade: larger numbers indicate higher defect ratios. The sequence is 2, 2/3, 3, 3/4...; NY indicates it's based on New York grading standards. The green beans have a very intense fermented berry aroma when smelled.

Roasting Analysis

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Fazenda Rainha Yellow Bourbon green beans have a solid texture and excellent flavor performance, with slight orange peel and spice notes.

Green bean moisture content: 9.9%

This FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Fazenda Rainha coffee has relatively low moisture content, which gives the beans strong heat absorption capacity. Therefore, the roasting plan is to start at 200°C, then use high heat and low air damper to speed up dehydration. After the dehydration phase ends, open the air damper to medium and use medium heat for the Maillard reaction, but not too rushed timing, finishing near the end of first crack.

After 4 trial roasts, the final choice was between 1 minute 45 seconds to 2 minutes after first crack ended. The flavor shows obvious sweetness, but not boring sweetness, with faint lemon aroma in the background that is more prominent in the wet aroma stage. The later stage shows obvious dark chocolate flavor, with an overall well-rounded feeling. While embodying the overall Brazilian characteristics, it maintains liveliness.

Batch size: 550g

Cupping

Dry Aroma: Roasted hazelnut, cinnamon

Wet Aroma: Slight tropical fruit aroma, cream, cane sugar

Taste: Delicate nutty flavor, fruity notes, creamy peanuts

Pour-over Records

Reference:

FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Fazenda Rainha, 15g powder, 1:15 ratio, medium hand grinding (EK43s grinder setting 10.5), V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature.

First pour 30g water for 30-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. Wait until the water level in the bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Flavor: Sweet and clean beans. The semi-natural processing brings out a bright acidity that harmonizes beautifully with sweetness, with some batches exhibiting tropical fruit aromas. The overflowing aroma during brewing is particularly delightful. Fresh cane juice sweetness, black tea, mellow fruit sweetness, obvious nutty flavors, balanced and smooth acidity, weak and clean bitterness, with rich chocolate aroma and nutty flavors, bright and refreshing mouthfeel, smooth and delicate texture.

Using this FrontStreet Coffee Brazil coffee bean Fazenda Rainha [Queen's Estate] to make iced coffee: weigh 15g powder, fine sugar grinding, brew with 88°C hot water. Put 100g of ice in the sharing pot, 30g water for 30-second bloom, with gentle stirring during blooming. After blooming ends, pour water to 150g and stop. It tastes smooth, with prominent chocolate nut flavors and obvious sweetness, perfect for this weather.

FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Coffee Bean Brand Recommendation

FrontStreet Coffee's (FrontStreet Coffee) self-roasted Brazil coffee beans have full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, the cost-performance ratio is extremely high - one box of 227 grams costs only 45 yuan. Calculating at 15g powder per cup of coffee, one package can make 15 cups, with each cup costing only about 3 yuan. Compared to coffee shop prices that often cost dozens of yuan per cup, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473