In 2007 no Cup of Excellence was held in Brazil and we were able to purchase the coffee directly from the farm. In 2009 the coffee placed 8th in the CoE.

Then, the coffee kind of went off the radar for us. At the Specialty Coffee Association show this past spring we attended a blind cupping of Brazilian coffees, where we were mainly impressed by one coffee in the room. We offered to buy some, without knowing its name. Well, as you have no doubt guessed, it turned out to be Santa Ines, our old friend. That was in May and the coffee has only just arrived in the US.

Varietal is Yellow Bourbon and processing is pulped natural, which means the skin is removed and the coffee, encased in its mucillage is fully dried on beds before milling. This coffee presents differently than our Fazenda Grota Funda Yellow Bourbon Natural because of several factors. The processing is different (pulped natural vs natural) and this Santa Ines farm is grown at a higher elevation. Santa Ines offers a wider range of flavor and is more piquant.

Fazenda Santa Ines is located in the municipality of Carmo de Minas in southern Minas Gerais at the foot of the Mantiqueira mountains. When the farm was acquired by the Sertao Group in 1979 it was already planted in coffee. Soon thereafter work began on planting more fields, building new concrete drying patios, and installing a washer, dryer, and processing machine. The Sertao Group is highly committed to environmental conservation, witnessed by the fact that it has preserved a large area of native forest on the property and protects all the mountain springs and creeks as well as the vegetation along their banks.

Social responsibility is also taken seriously on the farm: 13 homes for workers and their families have been built on the property, complete with the necessary infrastructure, including water, electricity, and a sewerage system. The houses are occupied by 35 employees on payroll and their families, or a total of 80 people. The rest of the workers' families live in Olimpio Noronha. In addition to their wages, all the families receive milk, coffee, medicines, and other assistance, and they have access to soccer fields, a sand court, and a quoits court for recreation and sports. Employee's children who are studying can easily get to school: a bus passes by the entrance gate several times a day and takes them there.

Because of the topography, harvesting at Fazenda Santa Ines has always been done by hand, the cherries being collected on a cloth. This precaution is taken so that the coffee will not be contaminated or lose its quality. Once they are picked, the cherries are taken to Fazenda do Sertao, another partner in the Sertao Group, where they are washed, pulped, and spread out, always with a view to obtaining a high-quality product. In keeping with the Sertao Group's philosophy to continuously strive to improve the quality of their coffee, personnel from Fazenda Santa Ines often visit national and international sites to exchange experiences with other growers in an ongoing effort to raise the bar for the coffees it produces.

Cup Characteristics: Fazenda Santa Ines is a very sweet, bright coffee with hints of lemon and clove. Its citrusy character is very striking. It possesses a delicate texture and a layered, complex taste. Very aromatic, it has chocolaty body and creamy mouthfeel with a long, sweet finish. A truly outstanding cup.

Grower Francisco Isidoro Dias Pereira and mother