Ecoagrícola, Limited Release Coffee
Each month we buy a coffee to sell as a Limited Release, a small amount of coffee which has been chosen for a specific reason. These coffees are made available initially to our Limited Release Subscription customers, and then later on general sale. If you want to make sure you never miss one of our limited releases, why not become a subscriber?
Our latest Limited Release is a tropical fermentation coffee from the Minas Gerais region of Brazil. Ecoagrícola, who have previously achieved success in the Cup of Excellence competitions, have been developing this processing method since 2015.
We will be roasting this coffee on Monday 9th March for despatch the same week.
Our Limited Release subscription customers enjoyed this coffee earlier in the year so we only have a small amount left for general release, around 10kg.
What makes this coffee special?
When coffee cherries are harvested they have to be processed quickly, usually on the day of picking. This is to prevent the fruit beginning to spoil which will in turn affect the seeds or beans inside. The climate at Ecoagrícola is particularly dry and this allows the farm to delay the processing of the coffee. The cherries are harvested as normal and then placed in a sack to be left under the coffee tree for 24 hours where they undergo a process of ‘dry’ or tropical fermentation.
After this 24 hour period the cherries are taken to the mill to follow a more traditional processing method. Cherries are first washed to remove any residue from the bag, as well as any floaters, before being placed on raised beds to dry. Here, beans are slowly dried; carefully being moved many times a day. Typically, on the first day, coffee cherries will be left in a thin layer. After they begin to dry, over the following days, they will be turned regularly, making increasingly thicker layers until the drying cherries reach around 15-18% humidity. Once finally dried to an exceptional standard, the beans are moved from the beds and left to rest for at least 30 days in the absence of light and heat.
Coffee farmers are now experimenting with processing methods to meet the increasing demands of the specialty coffee market. In turn they can demand a higher price for their products.
What does this do to the flavour of the coffee?
Often coffees from Brazil follow a certain flavour profile – nutty, sesame, peanut and maybe chocolate. This processing method introduces a lot more fruit into the cup – we picked out blueberry, vanilla and toffee in particular and a couple of members of the team suggested the coffee reminded them of blueberry muffins!
Owner: Marcelo & Roberto Flanzer
Processing: Tropical fermentation
Varietal: Yellow Catucaí
Origin: Minas Gerias region, Brazil
