Brazil Sitio Lavrinha | #todayimbrewing

Today I’m brewing a natural Brazilian coffee from prominent Toronto powerhouse, De Mello Palheta. De Mello has become a Toronto staple over the course of the last few years, stocking and serving cafés all over the city. This coffee is one in a series of forthcoming releases throughout the year from micro-lots cultivated by small scale farms in Brazil. Grown at a relatively high altitude for Brazil of 1400 masl, this specific coffee was rooted in hilly terrain and harvested by faithful hands.

The process is natural, meaning the fruit of the coffee cherry was left on during the drying period allowing the naturally occurring sugars to feed and ferment, transforming this coffee into an interesting sensory experience.

I enjoy all things fermented so I was eager to brew this one. The nose and palette are both quite intense, and that required me to back off from my standard 1:16 ratio. A milky body is complemented by some dark berries like cherry or cranberry. I do think the process overpowers the potential of the bean itself in this case. A natural process can be volatile, and I wonder if this one fermented a little too much. It’s not bad by any means, I actually rather enjoy it. I do think that some nuance of the coffee itself was potentially lost to the process, though.

Brewer: Kalita Wave
Water: 202° Third Wave Water
Ratio: 1:17
Dose: 18.8g:320g
Total Brew Time: 3:30

Recipe: 
‣ 60g bloom
‣ 60g pulse
‣ 60g pulse
‣ 60g pulse
‣ 80g pulse
‣ Swirl and serve

What are you brewing today? Let me know!