Busy busy busy time of the year for coffees arriving. This is another of our direct trade coffees from Brazil and is from the farm we have already seen a washed from. I’m a big fan of Aranquan and I hope you will become so too.

Processed by Nelson from Fazenda Floresta, I am sure your going to love this one

This is part of our direct trade agreement in Bahia, Brazil this year and is a brand new coffee for us. It’s also biodynamic coffee for those who care, but I know all of you will care that it is really tasty.

This is the farm that I stayed on during my stay in Bahia for the whole week in 2010 (and the previous year) with Luca Allegro. Luca was a great host, we ate, drank and had a wonderful time, chatting until the early hours. Luca lives in Salvador and the farmhouse is a wood cabin that the family go to at weekends. Luca also lives in it during harvest. The rest of the time the farm is managed and looked after by Nelson Ribeiro from Fazenda Floresta which is the neighbouring farm and he is a very, very close friend of Luca.

They work as a double act, Luca finds the buyers, looks after the export, deals with all the paper work, Nelson does what he is amazing at, processing milling and bagging the coffee.

The farm has been in Luca’s family for many generations, but had become run down, still producing but not very productive. But around 4-5 years ago Luca decided to focus on raising production and the quality of his coffee in tandom with Nelson. Luca has planted a whole heap of new varietals. One of the most interesting is the Acauan, a new varietal to me that produces around 40% peaberry. But this lot is Catuai, the prefered varietal of Chapada Diamantina, as it thrives with these conditions and this kind of altitude. The highest point I found on the farm was 1193 metres above sea level, but Luca assured me there were some higher parts.

This was approved at the same time as the washed and the pulped natural versions, but this was the easiest to see how great it was. The others needed some rest, but this was ready to rumble from the start. I’ve said before that Nelson is one of the best natural processors I have ever come across, this is dangerous processing a bit too far and its all ruined. But he knows with his many years of experience just where to take it, to give it a huge body, and unique cup profile. Each of the naturals he does are grown in the same area and mostly same varietals. But he manages to give each one a personality which I think is quite special.

In the cup, expect fig, cinnamon, a little clove but lots of anise. And all very clean and tight for a natural, but mainly big body, super tasty well processed well cared for natural.

Farm: Fazenda Aranquan
Farmer: Luca Allegro
City:Chapada Diamantina
Region: Bahia
Country: Brazil
Farm Size: Hectares
Coffee growing area: Hectares
Altitude: 1200masl
Varietal: Catuai
Processing System: Natural

You can buy it here