Brazil: Ipê Amarelo Natural
$14.00
Roast: Medium
Region: Cerrado Mineiro, Minas Gerais
Farm: LIFT Producers
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1,100m
Variety: Yellow Catuai
Cup: Snickers, Nilla Wafer, Marshmallow
Cupping Notes
As far as Brazilian coffee goes, this one is a true standout!
Being the largest coffee producer in the world, Brazil has a high ceiling, but also a low floor when it comes to quality, because of the quantity. Most people in the world who have been drinking coffee for any considerable length of time have likely consumed coffee from Brazil. Much of that coffee has likely been unimpressive and (potentially) homogenous in flavor.
But, this coffee is so stellar, and thanks to our friends at Mercon, we are able to offer it as a new friendly price-point introduction to specialty coffee.
Here's what we're tasting:
Snickers. Chocolate and peanut are the first two things that come to mind when you take a sip of this coffee. In my experience, these naturally-processed Brazilian coffees really exude peanut notes. You may remember the Fazenda natural we roasted in the past with peanut butter-like notes. This is another case of peanutty notes, but here, they present alongside distinct caramel and chocolate notes that remind us of a Snickers candy bar.
Nilla Wafer. This coffee is also full of sweet vanilla notes. In trying to describe them, we struggled a bit at first. Is it vanilla pudding? Is it vanilla ice cream? I reiterated that I thought the note was like a sweet cookie—perhaps combining a butteriness with that vanilla flavor. Childhood memories of Nilla Wafers came back, and that seemed very fitting.
Marshmallow. Vanilla ice cream or pudding nearly worked during the cupping because of the mouthfeel. There was a creamy aspect to the way this coffee feels. But, paired with the sugary sweetness, a toasted marshmallow felt more appropriate.
We know you're going to enjoy this coffee.
Farming Notes
This coffee was secured, thanks to the hard work of our friends at Mercon Specialty.
Mercon has provided some helpful background on Brazil as an origin:
“Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world, and production of coffee in Brazil is unique, in that Brazilian farms tend to have flatter elevations, less shade cover, and more manicured fields. They also use mechanical harvesters and produce far more coffee per hectare than other origins. Coffee in Cerrado Mineiro grows between 800-1300 meters above sea level and has very distinct rainy and dry seasons, creating the distinctive coffee of the region.”
Ipe Amarelo is a part of Mercon’s LIFT sustainability program. LIFT works to ensure the highest quality coffee while promoting environmentally conscious practices in production. In this area of Brazil, LIFT programs are working tirelessly to protect biodiversity in the nearby Atlantic Forest.