| Country | Brazil |
|---|---|
| Farm | Ninho da Águia, Caparaó, Espirito Santo |
| Varietal | Arabica Red Catuai |
| Processing | Natural |
| Crop | Fall 2024 |
| Partnership | since 2011 |
| Coffee type | whole bean |
| Flavour | Sweet & Creamy |
Unique terroir
A visit to the Ninho da Águia farm owned by our long-time friend Clayton Barrossa is an annual gift for us. The Caparaó region is one of the most beautiful national parks in Brazil. It is situated in the state of Minas Gerais to the west, and Espirito Santo to the east (map). The climate here is completely different from other places where we buy Brazilian coffee. The farms are located at the foot of the Pico da Bandeira mountain, which is the third highest peak in Brazil with its 2892 masl. The climate here is the coldest in all of Brazil. Winter temperatures drop to -10°C. Coffee cultivation is therefore very specific. The harvest is shifted from August to November. The cherries ripen more slowly and drying on African beds is only possible in the shade due to frequent rains and cold nights. It often takes up to 20-30 days.
How does it taste?
Sweet and Creamy
Getting coffee from Clayton is not easy at all, as he roasts most of his own production and sells it directly to consumers athis cafe and farm shop. When we do, we know it will be worth it. This lot is clearly the best coffee we bought in Brazil last year. It has a fantastically creamy and syrupy body with notes of tropical and yellow fruit and, for a "Brazilian coffee" (whatever that means), a vibrant acidity. This is a very complex and sweet coffee with different flavour profiles depending on the preparation method.
Clayton - coffee producer, roaster, surfer, dad of four daughters
Clayton got into coffee growing somewhat by accident. His great-grandfather started the family farm a hundred years ago. Clayton’s father, Mr. Aídes Gomes Monteiro, left the farm in the 1960s due to low prices and the difficulty of growing coffee in the cold climate and moved to São Paulo, where he raised his son and two daughters. Clayton returned to the Caparaó region in 1996, thinking he would work on the farm for 6 months a year and spend the other 6 months doing what he loved, surfing. Clayton hasn’t surfed much in the last 20 years, but he has become one of the most respected producers in the region. In 2014, he even won the prestigious award for best Brazilian coffee.
Světový unikát
Quite uniquely, Clayton roasts most of his production using the 15 kg Atilla roasters and sells it to the hungry tourists who flock his farm after he won the prestigious Best of Brazil award back in 2014. His wife Rosangela runs the family cafe and makes the best cheesecake. Every year, the few remaining microlots are left for the specialty coffee roasters to fight over.
Crop 2024
Clayton promised us one small lot of the best coffee he would produce from the 2024 harvest during his summer visit to Prague. All that was left for us to do was arrange the logistics of the selected coffees during a September visit to the Croce family's farm Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza / FAF Coffees, which also acts as an exporter of Clayton's coffees. The annual problem is precisely the synchronization of the purchase and logistics of coffees from two completely different regions, Minas Gerais and Caparaó, which are about 11 hours away by car. Moreover, the harvests of producers such as Celso and Gertrudes or Joao Hamilton begin in May and end in August. In contrast, Clayton harvests and processes his coffees thanks to the cooler climate until December, when our container is already on its way to Europe. This year together with FAF Coffees we managed to overcome these pitfalls and you have the opportunity to enjoy truly exceptional and unique Brazilian coffee.
You can read more about the complications and the current situation in Brazil in our blog article.
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