Brazil Red Catuai Rafael Vinhal Anaerobic washed

ROAST: Espresso Roast
PROCESS: Washed
REGION: Cerrado mineiro
ELEVATION: 980

VARIETAL: Red catuai

CUP: Coconut, Prune, Roasted almond

Red Catuai
This year we have found two special coffees from Brazil to show you from Rafael Vinhal, who runs the family owned and operated Vinhal Farm that has been producing high quality coffee since 1988. It is located 980 metres above sea level in the core of the state Minas Gerais, which is a part of the Cerrado Mineiro region in the southeast part of Brazil.

Their region receives hot and wet summers with mild and dry winters. For coffee producers like Rafael this means a single ripening season per year. He characterises his farm and production systems to be ‘obsessed with innovation’, to such an extent that they currently have 17 different methods of processing their coffees. However, even though they have a large variety of processing methods all their methods only require the use of coffee and, in some cases, water.

We find the intensity of flavours in these Brazilian Vinhal Farm coffees this year to be remarkable, especially given the lack of infusion or hybrid processing. It is no surprise that this farm has a highly decorated history in coffee. Since 2014, Rafael has received awards for his coffees from Expocaccer, Coffee of the Year Brasil Contest, Cup of Excellence, and etc. Vinhal Farm is also a proud member of the BSCA—Brazil Specialty Coffee Association—whose mission is to ‘increase the recognition of Brazilian specialty coffee’ and largely popularise it around the world.

Coffee from the Minas Gerais region is typically known for caramel and walnut-like aromas with a chocolaty aftertaste. However, this coffee is of a Red Catuai varietal which is a cross of Mundo Nuovo and Caturra. It has been fermented twice before being washed. The resulting coffee has a rather unique and delightful coconut aroma, with flavours of prune and roasted almond.