Brazil
Flavia & Gabriel Oliveira
Bom Jesus
Alta Mogiana
Sao Paulo
1250 masl
Red Acaia
Anaerobic Fermentation
Strawberries, blue flower blossoms, and vanilla pods.
In the cup: Grind off this filter coffee from Flavia and Gabrielle, and you'd be forgiven for thinking your significant other had come home with some fresh flowers for you. Although perhaps slightly disappointed initially, this won't be the case for long. Lose yourself in elegant blue flower blossoms and lavender with vibrant fresh strawberries, complex florals and a smooth vanilla pod finish.
A coffee birthright: Flavia and Gabriel have coffee practically flowing through their veins. With their family ancestors producing coffee for over 150 years, producers Falvia & Gabriel Oliveira are motivated by consistency and quality. They demonstrate their wealth of collective experience and an unintimidated ability to adapt and interpret new and developing coffee trends.
The OG Alta Mogiana: The International Property National Institute has recognised Alta Mogiana as one of Brazil's most traditional coffee-producing regions. The Alta Mogiana is synonymous with quality, striking aroma and creamy, velvety body.
Red Acaia: To uncover some of the mysteries behind Red Acaia, we must pop up to the attic and pull out the coffee family tree...tree. Tracing our branches back, we begin our lineage journey with a well know ancestor, Typia, before travelling down to Reunion Island off the east coast of Madagascar in search of our second grandparent varietal-- Bourbon.
Typica: This tall cultivar of Coffea arabica originates from the coffee trees that originally left Ethiopia for Yemen before making their way to Java. Typica's large fruit and leaves produce a moderately low yield and high susceptibility to major pests and diseases.
Bourbon: A common cultivar of C.arabica--The Bourbon varietal developed naturally on the French colonised island of the same name--later changed to Reunion Island. Originally sown from Yemen seed stock, the Bourbon varietal soon gained a strong foothold known for its strong plants and desirable in-cup qualities. Although very different in appearance from Typica, with broader leaves and rounder fruit and seeds*, Bourbon shares the same unfortunate susceptibility to disease and pests. *Keep your eyes peeled for Bourbon varietal roasting insights--these dense round little bullets team up their moisture release for some hair-pulling nightmares. (Never fear--we've cracked the code--more to come!)
Mundo Novo: From these two varietal OG's, the natural hybrid Mundo Novo emerged. First coming to emerging in 1943, it was not distributed and grown more widely until 1952. Mundo Novo quickly became a farmer favourite, with producers jumping at it over straight Bourbon varietals for its resistance to disease and high-yielding fruit. Mundo Novo maintains popularity across many South American producers today with a typically thick and sweet mouthfeel but comparably low acidity. A criticism of the Mundo Novo hybrid shared by many coffee professionals is that not enough of the Bourbon flavour characteristics--namely florals and acidity make their way to the cup.
Introducing Red Acaia!: Red Acaia is a rare varietal almost exclusively found in Brazil and a natural mutation of, you guessed it Mundo Novo. Red Acaia is well adapted to Brazil's growing conditions and flourishes over 800 masl. This super varietal supports high yields, has good resistance to pests and leaf rust, and has in-cup credentials that will make your GP blush!
A frequent competitor and past winner of Brazils Cup of Excellence quality contests, we don't expect Red Acaia to go anywhere and predict Red Acaia to grow in popularity among Brazil micro-lot farmers in the coming years.