Brazil Mogiana Natural

This selection comes to us from farmers in the world renowned Mogiana region of Brazil. It's graded as Fine Cup (FC) and Strictly Soft (SS) which is the highest cup category in Brazil. It's got low acidity and a creamy texture with notes of cocoa powder and walnut with just a hint of lemon.

Arrival Date: August 17th, 2021

Acidity & Brightness: Low acidity, mildly sweet

Balance & Finish: Slightly complex, lingering nutty finish

Body & Texture: Medium-full bodied, creamy mouthfeel

Flavors: Cocoa powder and walnuts, hints of lemon

Grade: 17/18 Screen, FC/SS (Fine cup/strictly soft), highest category in Brazil, grown at 800-1200 masl

Processing: Natural (dry) processed, sun dried

Varietals: Bourbon, Mundo Novo and Obatã

Roasting: Start with a  Full City  (Medium), or just before the second crack. Mogiana coffee will roast a little unevely due to the natural processing.  We don't recommend carrying Brazil coffees too dark in the roasting spectrum.  Since they are grown in full sun, they mature fairly rapidly.  This results in a softer bean that we don't think takes to dark roasting well.  If your roaster has variable temperature, avoid the hottest settings to preclude scorching or "tipping".  When kept to a medium or medium-dark roast, this coffee is a nice, gentle, mild cup.  If roasted to dark, like most softer bean coffees, it can pick up an unpleasant ashy taste.

Reminder! This coffee is raw, you must roast it before brewing

Our Review: Brazil exports more coffee than any other nation.  OK, so you already know that. The bulk of Brazilian coffee goes into a veritable sea of beans that gets all mixed together and ends up in commercial coffee. This Brazilian coffee, however, meets the highest standards of Brazil grading: Fine Cup and Strictly Soft. The Mogiana region is located in the north east part of the state of Sao Paulo in southern Brazil, which is in an area known as the Brazilian Highlands. The rolling hills and uneven terrain are perfect for small to medium farms and less appealing to big commercial operations. This personal care is why Mogiana is known as one of the best coffee growing regions in Brazil. Coffee from the Mogiana region is a rich bodied coffee but not super heavy and syrupy.  It is incredibly creamy, almost velvety with a moderate to low acidity.

We love having Brazil Mogiana around because of its versatility. While it makes a fine single origin brew, particularly as an espresso, it really shines as a blender. It's a key ingredient in any Italian style espresso blend and adds tons of creamy texture and nuttiness to any blend without tacking on a bunch of acidity and overwhelming flavors. In other words, it plays really well with others! This is unusual in a natural processed coffee, which tend to be intense and fruit forward, but naturals from Brazil are an exception to this rule. This particular lot has notes of cocoa powder and walnut with a long, pleasant finish.

Here are a few blending ideas to get you started:

Italian Style Espresso: 90% Brazil, 10% Robusta

Italian/West Coast Hybrid Espresso: 33% Brazil, 33% Sumatra, 33% Guatemala

Everyday House Blend: 33% Brazil, 33% Guatemala or Colombia, 33% Honduras or other sweet Central American coffee

The rich body is joined with a slightly sweet and nutty flavor that make this a particularly refreshing cup.  There is just the slightest hint of lemon here as well.