- Varietals: Arabica Bourbon
- Proces: Washed Honey
- Masl: 400-1200m
- Flavor profile: Sweet – Nutty – Chocolate
- Coffee farmers: Mulheres Do Café do Matão – São Jerônimo da Serra – Fazenda California
- SCA Score – 84,75 points
- Roast: OMNI (Suitable for filter and espresso!)
Processing: Washed – Honey
The washed processing method (also known as the wet or washing method ) is a popular way to process coffee beans after they have been harvested. This method involves washing the beans to remove the pulp. The process consists of several steps:
- Harvesting and sorting: The ripe coffee cherries are picked and sorted by quality. Unripe or damaged cherries are removed.
- Hulling: The berries are put into a machine that removes the skin or pulp from the bean.
- Fermentation: The beans are immersed in water and fermented to remove the remaining pulp. This can take 12 to 48 hours, depending on the ambient temperature and climate.
- Washing and drying: After fermentation, the beans are thoroughly washed in water to remove any pulp and impurities. They are then dried, often on drying beds or in drying machines.
This method produces a clean flavor in the coffee, often with bright acidity and a more complex taste. It also affects the coffee’s texture, which can often be lighter and fruitier than with other processing methods, such as natural (dried with the skins still on).
More information from the coffee importer This Side Up I work with:
The Farmer:
To be honest, Brazil had never crossed our minds as a possible origin for This Side Up. We didn’t think our mission to help small farmers market their coffee would fit into such an established coffee industry. However, Luiz Saldanha and his partners captured our imagination. They founded Capricornio to revitalize five regions in the southern states of Paraná and São Paulo, which until the 1960s were among the country’s most vibrant coffee-producing regions. Due to severe frosts and the rise of the large coffee regions in the north, production stagnated, causing many coffee farmers to relocate north, leaving their farms underdeveloped. Now, climate change has made these regions attractive to farmers again, but almost no one saw the potential for specialty coffee.
That is, until Capricornio found 20 passionate farmers and launched the Four Seasons Project: they helped them transform their farms into modern, environmentally sustainable farms and process their coffee to the highest standards. Now, they’ve begun showcasing what these coffee regions have to offer the specialty coffee world. Due to the uniquely low latitude (around the Tropic of Capricorn at 23ºS), coffee here tolerates more stress during development. This results in large, slow-ripening cherries with surprisingly complex profiles, similar to those found at higher altitudes. We were impressed not only by the quality of the coffee but also by the company’s performance in processing and creating coffees in close collaboration with specialty roasters and experts (such as Aida Battle) from around the world.
This connection with the roasting world created an immediate connection with This Side Up, and since 2017, we’ve been proud to promote Capricornio in the European market. For the second season, we’re co-creating a diverse range of coffees with roasters across Europe: from signature blends to exclusive processing experiments and microlots.
Our direct connection is with Capricornio, who connects us with the right growers in their Four Seasons project through blended Signature coffees, single-estate coffees, and various specially processed microlots. Capricornio is the ultimate example of a force for good for an entire production region by perfectly understanding the roaster’s needs.
Remarkable:
In addition to a few estates and microlots, Capricornio creates blends from its partner farmers according to the roasters’ desired cupping profiles, called “Signatures.” They are unparalleled in creating year-over-year cupping consistency.
World-class processing experimentation and the dissemination of good processing practices: everything from pulped natural products to controlled fermentation – we want our other Capricornio partners to learn how to perfect it.
Capricornio significantly reduces the environmental footprint of all 20 of its partner farmers: they help them create water-efficient factories, implement wastewater treatment technologies, and apply systems thinking to optimize all coffee processes and reduce CO2 emissions. They also promote the use of organic fertilizers, energy-efficient machinery, and irrigation systems.
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