Brazil South Minas Region | Lambary Estate | Natural Process Bourbon, Catuai, Acaia Flavor Notes

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

Brazil South Minas Region | Lambari Estate | Natural Bourbon, Catuai, Acaia Flavor Profile?

Brazil is currently the world's largest coffee producer with a total output of 48.095 billion bags, exceeding one-third of global production! The Brazil Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA) is dedicated to improving the quality of Brazilian coffee. Internationally, it helps promote Brazil's fine coffee and assists Brazilian coffee farmers in meeting the quality requirements of the specialty coffee market. Domestically, it helps farmers continuously improve agricultural practices and ensures better social welfare.

Coffee was first introduced to Brazil in the early 18th century. Currently, there are two million hectares of land used for coffee cultivation, with main regions including Sul de Minas, Matas de Minas, Cerrado, Chapadas de Minas, Mogiana, Paraná, and Bahia. There are both traditional and variety cultivars such as Bourbon, Mundo Novo, Icatú, Catuai, Iapar, and cultivated Catuai. These beans were previously wet-processed, but increasingly, natural drying and pulped natural methods are used, all aiming to present the diverse characteristics of the beans. Larger estates use each processing method, and harvest times vary across different regions of Brazil. Coffee beans imported directly from Brazil typically ship between October and April of the following year.

Property Characteristics

Farm: Fazenda Lambari (Lambari Estate)

Farmer: Rebetez and Mariani Family

City: Poços de Caldas

Region: Sul de Minas Gerais (South Minas)

Country: Brazil

Farm Size: 600 hectares

Coffee Growing Area: 500 hectares

Altitude: 1,000 meters

Annual Precipitation: 2,000 mm

Annual Production: 160 bags of green coffee beans

Certification: BSCA (Brazil Specialty Coffee Association)

Coffee Characteristics

Variety: Bourbon, Catuai, Acaiá

Processing System: Natural (sun-dried)

Appearance: 16-17 screen

Top Jury Descriptions: Cupping roast level begins 60 seconds after first crack (Cinnamon roast)

Aroma/Flavor: Raisin, banana, apple, peach, strawberry, cherry blossom, cocoa, caramel, peanut butter, chocolate, honey

Acidity Complexity: Soft fruit acidity, citrus acidity, red plum, minty acidity, tropical fruit acidity, gentle and elegant, rustic countryside flavor

Complexity and Other: Single sweet sensation, low complexity, excellent smooth creamy texture, finish with fruit sweetness and cool mint that persists for some time

Overall Style Attributes: Medium intensity, sweet, clean, Lambari Estate features the most remarkable Acaiá variety, a unique emerging cultivar specific to South Minas. It's a very rare and distinctive variety—the fresh fruit at the front end and the cherry blossom fragrance at the finish particularly appeal to me. These are excellent beans from the latest production in October 2011.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing:

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour 25g water, bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g water, pause. Wait until the water level drops to half in the coffee bed, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total water. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and faster drainage, pausing during pouring can extend the extraction time for sun-dried coffee.