Producer: Antônio José Junqueira Villela
Farm: São Benedito
Region: Dom Viçoso, Mantiqueira de Minas
Varietal: Red Bourbon
Process: Anaerobic Natural
Altitude: 950–1420 masl
 
This lot separation from Fazenda São Benedito was part of the Carmo Best Cup competition 2019 and placed 8th in the top 30 out of nearly 700 entrants. We're super happy to have split this lot with local friends Offshoot Coffee. This Red Bourbon lot displays rich fudgey notes and a vibrant tropical sweetness.
 
This lot was processed as a natural anaerobic fermentation. Our partners at CarmoCoffees have been instrumental in experiementing with this method and have developed their own end to end system. In the natural anaerobic process, the cherry is kept whole until it is optimally dried. First cherries are picked ripe only with the help of whats called a brix meter - this little device measures the sugar content on the cherry and is a reliable quantiative way to confirm ripeness level. Then the cherries are cleaned with water but left fully intact - This is to ensure no foreign matter like dust or unwanted lifeforms hitched a ride. Then cherries are piled into a large stainless steel vat tank which is airtight sealed not allowing any oxygen to remain. The anaerobic fermentation then begins in this environment. The pH level is constantly measured and when it hits a certain level the cherries are then removed where they are transfered to covered raised beds to dry where they are turned over daily to aid even drying and prevent defects such as mold. Moisture meters are used to confirm the optimal moisutre level of around 10.5%. The dried cherries are then sent to the dry mill where the skins & then underlying parchment layers are removed through finely calibrated machinery.
 
The coffee area of São Benedito spans 35 hectares and has several varieties planted. Since the focus has shifted to coffee on the farm, picking, processing, and drying have improved tremendously. In the early 2000s, Rancho São Benedito was recognized by the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association for its very good production. The farm is managed by Antônio José Junqueira Villela who also manages another farm we're familiar with - Fazenda Santa Inés.