Brazil Fazenda Samambaia

Fruity Brazilian coffees are generally hard to find. Like really hard. Often times, they come through not being very fruity at all, or being very process driven. We’re thrilled to have Fazenda Samambaia on our lineup at the moment. She’s a coffee that doesn’t deviate too far from what we know coffees from Brazil tend to taste like, but with just the right amount of spark to jazz up the entire sensory experience.

The cool, green hills of Sul de Minas provide ideal conditions for coffee growing and produce some of Brazil’s finest beans. The region is known locally as ‘Vertentes’ because it forms a border between two very important basins in Brazil: the Grande River Basin (which runs to the south) and the São Francisco River Basin (which runs to the northeast).

Henrique Dias Cambraia, the owner at Fazenda Samambaia, attributes the success of his farm to a combination of various factors, not least: the farm’s geographic location; competent technical management of the plantations, with individualised phytosanitary controls of the planting fields; constant training based on total quality control programs; and, most importantly, the involvement of the whole team that works on the farm.

For this special lot, processing starts by placing selectively harvested coffee cherries in clean plastic barrels. To begin the fermentation process, the team at Samambia take a Brix reading (% of sugar in liquid) and adjust the content until it reaches 20%. Once the correct reading is measured, the barrels are sealed with an airtight valve: allowing the Anaerobic reaction to take place. The cherries remain here for five days whilst the team at Samamabia monitor the temperature and pH levels of the coffee mass, helping them to understand the fermentation rate. Once the fermentation process is finished, the cherries are moved to raised beds to undergo Samambia’s standardised drying protocols.

Now for the sensory experience. She’s got some funk, not an intense amount to turn things … stinky, but a classy amount that adds character to the comforting flavour profile we know Brazilian coffees to have. A burst of amaretto upon the first sip, transcending to the almost candy-like sweetness of maraschino cherries. These highly sweet nuances then lead to the fresh acidity that of black plum. Lovely lovely coffee.