Brazil AA Champion | What are the flavor characteristics of Bahia's Green Gold Estate Pulped Natural Catuai?

Brazil AA Champion | What are the flavors of the Catuaí from Fazenda Ouro Verde in Bahia, processed with the pulped natural method?

Bahia is one of Brazil's 26 states, located in the northeast of the country, and it has its own export port thanks to its coastline. In the central highland area of Bahia lies a famous plateau called Chapada Diamantina, which is precisely the small production area where Bahia's specialty coffee originates. The terrain features rugged mountains and plateaus, with countless beautiful waterfalls and natural lakes that form the headwaters of many rivers. This diverse topography and unique microclimate produce coffee that is beautiful, varied, outstanding and captivating.

Main Production Regions:

• Minas Gerais - Southern Brazil, further divided into the sub-regions Sul de Minas, Cerrado, Chapada de Minas, and Matas de Minas
• Espirito Santo - Primarily produces Conilon beans, with fewer specialty varieties
• São Paulo - Home to the Port of Santos, where two-thirds of Brazil's coffee beans are exported
• Bahia
• Paraná
• Rondônia

Bahia State:

Located in northeastern Brazil, Bahia is further divided into the sub-regions Planalto da Bahia and Cerrado da Bahia. Portuguese explorers reached the area as early as 1500, and Salvador became Brazil's first capital, serving as a political, administrative and religious center that played a significant role in the country's history. In 1822, when Brazil declared independence, Bahia was still occupied by Portugal and only returned to Brazilian control several years later. Even today, in the 21st century, Bahia continues to press the Brazilian government for greater political autonomy, and that resistance persists. Bahia's industry has also developed rapidly, with a significant share of heavy industry; industrial growth was strongest in the 1970s, when the state government promoted vertical integration across upstream, midstream and downstream industries to raise employment, making Bahia one of Brazil's important industrial and agricultural centers.

The Cup of Excellence (COE) is divided into Natural and Pulped Natural categories, with the Natural category only beginning in 2012. Pulped Natural remains the primary approach, since Brazil originally became famous for this processing method.

Fazenda Ouro Verde (Green Gold Farm)

As a Cup of Excellence champion farm, it has continued its high-quality cultivation since winning the championship in 2009, taking COE championships again in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The award-winning beans all show rich sweetness, blooming floral aromas, a smooth oily texture and pure fruit fragrance, with the South American chocolate aftertaste especially well executed. From the 1980s to today — more than thirty years — father-and-son ownership has turned the estate into the pride of Bahia. On the day they won, Bahia's coffee farmers were overjoyed.

Coffee Details:

• Region: Bahia
• Farm: Fazenda Ouro Verde (Green Gold Farm)
• Variety: Catuaí
• Processing Method: Pulped Natural
• Altitude: 1,280 meters

Special Characteristics: Fazenda Ouro Verde sits in the excellent core area of Chapada Diamantina, at an altitude of nearly 1,300 meters. With temperatures typically ranging between 2°C and 17°C, the beans grow more slowly. Some may not be large in size, but their flavor is exceptional, with a high overall balance that is genuinely remarkable.

Cupping Notes: The dry aroma carries dried berries and vanilla, while the wet aroma reveals subtle floral notes and apricot. On the palate the mouthfeel is round and smooth, with complex, varied fruit acidity mingled with delicate florals. The smooth oily texture is comfortable and lubricating, and the rich natural fruit sweetness stays clean and delicate. The aftertaste brings stone fruit aromas and subtle chocolate notes, with remarkable balance and complete layers, closing on a persistent sweet finish.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method:

• Dripper: Hario V60
• Water Temperature: 90°C
• Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5
• Brewing Technique: Using a 1:15 water-to-coffee ratio with 15g of coffee. First pour 25g of water and let it bloom for 25 seconds. Second, pour up to 120g of water, then stop. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total. Extraction time should be around 2:00 minutes.

Analysis: A three-stage brew clearly separates the front, middle and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing the pour can extend the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Fazenda Ouro Verde shows why pulped natural Brazil is so prized, and it's worth comparing against other Brazilian singles. FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon is a classic pulped natural single origin and a great introduction to the region: roasted medium, it opens up creamy peanut, toast, caramel and hazelnut aromas, with a rounded body, almost no acidity and a light bitterness. FrontStreet Brazil Queen's Estate Yellow Bourbon, grown in Mogiana on fertile red volcanic soil, is a rarer Yellow Bourbon with a cleaner fruit character and a sugarcane-like sweetness, plus fruit and chocolate notes. Both brew well as pour-over and also work in a moka pot, siphon, French press or espresso SOE.