This microlot is from the Delarisse family, who own and operatte Fazenda Chapadao de Ferro. Their family run farm is located in the Patrocinio area of Minas Gerais, an area known for regular annual rainfall, rich volcanic soil, and plentiful irrigation from a rather large network of streams.
Fazenda Chapadao de Ferro sits at around 1200 meters atop an ancient inactive volcano.
Coffee is processed the old-fashioned way here, manually picking the ripest cherry, an initial ‘wash’ and then laying out to sun dry on patios. This is a dry-processed coffee, and this careful selection and clean processing play a large role in the resulting cleanliness and sweetness tasted in the cup.
This particular lot is a separation of Yellow Catuai, the milled byproduct coming out to just about 1300 pounds.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping a cup of Brazil Minas Gerais Patrocinio Microlot, from Radio Roasters in Atlanta, Georgia. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THE BASICS:
region: Patrocinio, Minas Gerais, Brazil
farm: Fazenda Chapadao de Ferro
producer: Delarisse Family
association: N/A
elevation: 1200 meters above sea level
cultivar(s): Yellow Icatu
process: fully washed, patio dried
certifications: standard
THE COFFEE:
The aroma of the Brazil Patrocinio is sweet and sugary, bordering on decadence almost, with scents of brown sugar, roasted almonds, cinnamon, cocoa, and hazelnut.
Taking my first few sips of the cup immediately post-brew, I’m disappointed to write that the inside of the roaster is the dominant flavor profile up front: carbon, copper, astringent… I can, though, taste just a hint of what I think I should have been tasting at this point—cocoa powder, hazelnut, brown sugar, graham cracker pie crust. The makings of a great coffee, they’re all there—they’re just covered up.
As the coffee cools, the roastiness doesn’t really back off, but the natural flavors of the bean come forward; so the coffee becomes really aggressive on the palate. Salted caramel, cherry, amaretto, and zesty, tangy orange rind acidity.
Full body; silky mouthfeel; citrus acidity; clean finish.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Again, just like the Chelelektu we had a couple days ago, what we have here is a really amazing coffee that is really flawed by roast profile. This Brazil Patrocinio, from Radio Roasters, reminds me of a pie that was left in the oven a bit too long—the crust is burnt and the filling is overcooked, but the ingredients were great to start with. It just got away from the baker there at the end.
There were a few moments in this cup that I really liked, that I wanted to last longer, that I wish could have broken; there was a sugary sweetness and a beautifully juicy fruitiness that provided the highlights of the coffee, but they just couldn’t break through and get past the roastiness up front.
This coffee could have been amazing, but ended up lackluster.
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.