BR-313 1st place: Project AAA - Natural Acaiá - Manual picking

Conventional (no certification): $16.00 USD / kg

Origin: Brazil
Variety: Acaiá
Process type: Natural/Sun Dried
Grower's cupping score (SCA): 89.5 points
Available quantity: 0 bags
Minimum order quantity (MOQ): 50 bags

last updated about 20 hours ago

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The coffee story

This coffee comes from a farm I rent with two friends, Augusto and Ademilson. The farm is called Sítio Quilombo and e the project is AAA because all our names start with the letter A but it has nothing to do with the Nespresso AAA. Maybe we need a better name... We rent a 9 hectares farm together and each of us has 3 hectares. The altitude is pretty high, ranging from 1400 to 1450m. My part has 2 varieties: Acaiá, like in this lot, and a little bit of Bourbon. My best coffees come from this plot!

I like the Acaiá because it tastes good in the cup and the screen size is big too. Acaiá is a lineage from the Mundo Novo variety that needs a lot of care but yields well. ‘Round here we call it the “dutch belted cow of coffee”. I struggled with the variety in the beginning because the wind is strong at the AAA plot. BUt now the Acaiá and I understand each other.

With Augusto, another member of Project AAA

There is no precise recipe to produce the best coffee, but there is a way. As we say it in Brazil, “tem um jeitinho”. This is not to say we don’t follow protocol but rather that the raw material we work with always changes. Same with the weather, the air humidity… That is why producers need to learn to “talk” to the coffee and to be flexible, adapting to the external conditions we can’t control. You also have to learn the protocol to be able to break it. My processing methods are not by the book…

I started working with specialty in 2008. It was the first time I got a coffee graded. It scored 80 points. I have learned a lot since then. Augusto and I banter that specialty is like a videogame. You move from level to level. When you are a beginner you follow the rules: pick, sort, wash and start drying on the same day. Spread the coffee in thin layers on the patio, bean by bean. This helps with consistency and reduces defects. But coffee can be much better than this. When you understand what you can do to improve you move levels. I like this.

I also like helping other producers. I was the president of APAS Coffee for 7 years. I left because I didn’t want to get comfortable. I wanted to expand my farm and invest in quality. Then I joined another cooperative, Coopervass. They needed support in the management but no one wanted to do it. People like to complain and don’t do enough to change things. I joined as a vice president of Coopervass this year and am looking for ways to improve what we do. Some say I look for trouble. I just can’t see things that need improving and do nothing.

When I won 3rd place at the International Coffee Week in Brazil. Imagine my happiness now...

The competition

The competition jury in Brazil: Jack (right), William (centre) and Francisco (left)

*This coffee was scrutinized by 4 certified Q-Graders in 2 countries for the competition process with rigorous sensorial and physical analysis. Differences in cupping scores and notes are due to the use of different roast machines and lab setups. As the selection of the lots and the rankings happened in Brazil, the jury's score was kept as the main quality evaluation on the lot information page. Read the information below for more detail.

Algrano's QC
Q-Grader: Veronika Kečkéšová
Location: Zurich, Switzerland
Roaster: IKAWA
Total roasting time: 6'50" to 7'
First crack: Around 5¨45", 194 to 196 degrees Celsius
DTR: 65" to 70"
Quality comments: Score: 87. Primary notes: Floral, Strawberry, Tropical fruits. Secondary notes: Citrus fruit. Lingering and sweet finish with citric acidity and a round, smooth body.

"Powerful in flavours, but still elegant and down to earth. Sweet, with lingering aftertaste, supportive malic acidity and round body." - Veronika

Jury’s QC
Q-Grader: Jack Robson, Francisco Lentini Neto and William Batista Mariano
Location: Varginha, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Roaster: Speciatto, Carmomaq
Total roasting time: 8-9 minutes
Drying phase: 4-5 minutes
Maillard phase: 3 minutes
DTR: 50 to 70 seconds
Other comments: Agtron 63-65
Screen size: 16/18 (3.6% below)

The process

The post-harvest started with the fermentation of the cherries for 1 week inside a breathable bag. We call the process "cold fermentation" because we don't let the cherries' temperature go up. This way the process is slower and easier to keep under control. The cherries are then washed in clean water and taken to a polytunnel to dry for 25 days. We dry the coffee on patios and raised beds spread in layers thicker than usual. We move them twice a day in the beginning and, as the days pass, we start moving the coffee more often until it has reached the optimum humidity.

Process type
Natural/Sun Dried
Altitude range
1000m - 1520m
Harvest period
August, 2020

Coffee Quality Evaluation

Sensorial

	Algrano (Pending) Cupped: N/A	Jack Robson (Grower) Cupped: September, 2020
SCA Score	-	89.5
Key flavor notes	-	Floral, Mango, Pineapple, Spice, Honey, Citric, Creamy, High body, High sweetness, Stewed fruit
Quality comment	-	-

Sensorial radar

Alessandro

Brazil FairTrade

About the grower Translate

Iniciei na cafeicultura em 1993, quando meu pai comprou a Fazenda Fortaleza, foi meu primeiro contato com o café, trabalhamos em regime de agricultura familiar, focados na produção de cafés de especiais naturais e cereja descascado, secamos os cafés em terreiros pavimentados, suspensos e estufa. Em 2016 começamos a fazer a colheita seletiva, no começo parecia impossível e inviável para o Brasil era o que todos diziam, mais graças a Deus a qualidade nos surpreendeu atingindo notas e sabores que nem imaginávamos, a colheita seletiva elevou muito nossa qualidade, trabalhamos duro nos últimos anos, acreditamos e investimos na qualidade e agora estamos colhendo os resultados com diversas premiações em concursos regionais e nacionais. Em 2016 começamos o cultivo orgânico em uma área pequena e em 2019 certificamos nosso café orgânico no IBD. Outra fonte de renda é a apicultura, por isso criamos a marca a Honey & Coffee que representa todo nosso trabalho na apicultura e nas fazendas de café.

Roaster relationships
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Relationships with Roasters in
Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom, Latvia, Netherlands, and Slovakia
Average orders per roaster
2

FAQ

Shipment

Shipping
Once the ordering period ends we will consolidate all coffees in a shared container. During transport, your coffee is fully insured. We will keep you informed about the shipment status.

Upon arrival of the coffee at the warehouse, you can choose between 2 delivery modes:

Doorstep delivery: We will take care of transport to your roastery. We will provide your coffee fully insured until it is ready for unloading from the truck at your roastery.
EXW (ex. warehouse) means that we will provide the coffee ready for pick-up at the terminal of the warehouse. You are responsible for organising transport and insurance from the warehouse to your roastery.

Currently, we can deliver coffee anywhere in Europe, except Hungary. For all European buyers, the coffee will be provided custom cleared in any case. Roasters in Switzerland choosing EXW will be responsible for customs clearance.

Payment

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2 payment methods are accepted on Algrano:

1. Buy now, pay later
Pay your coffee after its delivered in Europe. This option generates an additional fee, displayed in the shopping cart.

3. Pay 10 days after placing the order
We will send you a 10 day invoice straight after you placed your order.