TASTING NOTES

Coffee tasting notes for Limão Rosa, Brazil: chocolate, apple, brown sugar, blackberry pie

COFFEE BACKGROUND

Fazenda Rio Brilhante sits within the micro-region Pântano, which is in the state of Minas Gerais. Pântano’s well-defined seasons with consistent seasonal rain are ideal conditions for natural and pulped-natural coffees. Carefully calibrated harvesting machines pick cherries at ideal ripeness and quality. Once harvested, the washing station sorts denser cherries into natural and pulped natural lots. The pulped natural process removes skin from the cherries while most of the mucilage remains on the seeds. Drying the beans with this pulp still sticking to them is a middle ground between washed and fully natural processing — highlighting the natural sweetness of the coffee and producing a lovely aromatic cup.

Inácio Urban, the founder of Rio Brilhante, migrated to the Cerrado Mineiro region from the southernmost state in Brazil in the 1980s. At first he planted just 20 hectares, “to learn what it is like to grow coffee.” Over the past 40 years he has continued to purchase more land and grow more coffee, growing the farm to its impressive current size – over 1,600 hectares. Urban divided the farm into 45 sections, each surrounded by large native trees and representative of a unique terroir and micro-climate. The native vegetation dividing the micro-lots preserves the farm’s natural biodiversity and protects the coffee trees from high winds.

In 2006 Inácio’s children, Erika Urban and Fernando Urban, joined their father in managing the farm. This new generation represents a continuation of the family’s work, while inserting fresh energy and innovation for the future. In 2020, the farm won first place for the Ethics and Traceability Award. This honored its commitment to its people, preserving the environment, and promoting responsible agribusiness.

The micro-lot, named Limão Rosa (pink lemon) for its varieties and plot position, offers more acidity than typical coffees from Brazil..