Brazil: Ipanema Premier Cru, A17 Winey [125g]

*Please note that this coffee is sold in 125g bags, not our regular 220g*

Fazenda Rio Verde is situated in the Mantiqueira Mountains. Translated from the Tupi Guarani native language as "crying mountain", this is a mountain range in the south-east of Brazil, straddling the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro, extending north-east for approximately 500 kilometres. The farm itself is located in the municipality of Conceição do Rio Verde and spread over a total area of 1,566 hectares, of which 626 are dedicated to coffee production and 167 hectares to other crops.

773 hectares of the estate are reserved for environmental preservation areas, containing virgin forests, waterfalls, hiking trails, and 51 springs - a true sanctuary for nature. To ensure protection of this important local ecosystem, Ipanema have created the Environment Monitoring Center (EMC), installed in a renovated old henhouse and conceived as a centre of management, analysis, and monitoring of factors related to water, soil, vegetation, climate, and residue.

The region has fertile clay soils, mountainous topography with altitudes varying between 900 and 1,330 meters, a subtropical climate with dry winters, and average of 1,550mm of rainfall per year. This is ideal for growing high-quality coffee but can be a challenge for normal Brazilian production methods. The standout varieties grown on the farm are Yellow Bourbon, Yellow Catuai, and Red Acaia, but a research area of 20,000 square meters containing 10,000 coffee trees also grows 48 different varieties to evaluate their potential cup quality.

The farm is sectioned into 69 terroirs/plots (referred to as glebes), the best 34 of which are selected to be part of the Premier Cru project Ipanema run each year. The coffee from each of these areas is harvested and processed as unique lots which are identified by a code (e.g. B70). The letter refers to the coffee variety (B for Bourbon, C for Catuai, etc) and the number refers to one of the 34 glebes. Once the lots have been processed, the owners take an unusual step: a panel of tasters go through and cup the lots, picking a single standout flavour descriptor for each and assigning it to that coffee. This coffee is “A17 – Winey”.

This lot was grown on glebe A17, a 6.4-hectare plot of land growing Red Acaia at 1,088-1,143 m.a.s.l. Red Acaia is a selected cultivar of Mundo Novo (a Typica & Bourbon hybrid). Both varietals are firm favourites in Brazil and rare to see in other countries due to varying success introducing it to production elsewhere. The variety is well adapted to Brazil's growing conditions and flourishes best at heights above 800 m.a.s.l. It’s susceptible to all coffee plant pests and diseases but is known for its excellent cup profile.

The processing equipment chosen for the Ipanema project reflect the most advanced technology available in wet milling and mechanical drying in the world. Ipanema and Colombian manufacturer JM Estrada's teams of engineers worked together for three years to create the industry layout, including stainless steel equipment, three stages of cleaning, and a colour sorting system to reduce the usage of natural resources.

After selective hand picking this lot has gone through a 90-hour anaerobic fermentation followed by a slow, carefully controlled drying in whole cherries - through 147 hours on conventional patios then 95 hours in vertical dryers. This gives it a distinctive flavour profile, both enhancing the silky texture and adding funky, fruity notes. This coffee is from the "Black" range and the calibrated tasting panel used by Ipanema identified this coffee as "Winey". It's a great example of how you can push processing-driven flavours forwards in a coffee whilst still being true to the unique terroir of the place it comes from.

The funky natural processing of this coffee gives it a generous helping of red grape juice and strawberry-flavoured gummy sweets. On the finish is sweet red cherry too - this coffee is all about the red fruits.

• Country: Brazil
• Region: Serra da Mantiqueira
• Farm: Fazenda Rio Verde
• Producers: Ipanema Coffees
• Glebe: A17
• Size: 6.4 hectares
• Elevation: 1,088-1,143 m.a.s.l.
• Process: Natural with Anaerobic Fermentation
• Variety: Red Acaia
• Unique cupping characteristic: Winey
• Pre-drying process: Conventional patios for 147 hours
• Drying process: Vertical dryers for 95 hours
  
• Fermentation process: 90 hours
• Blossoming: September 22nd, 2022
• Harvest: June 23rd, 2023

Tasting notes: Red grape, strawberry gummy sweets, red cherry.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean cup: (1–8): 6.5
• Sweetness: (1–8): 7
• Acidity: (1–8): 6
• Mouthfeel: (1–8): 6.5
• Flavour: (1–8): 6.5
• Aftertaste: (1–8): 6
• Balance: (1–8): 6.5
• Overall: (1–8): 6.5
• Correction: (+36): +36
• Total: (max. 100): 87.5

Roast Information
Medium-dark - take this coffee nicely through first crack and through the gap, just up towards the beginning of second before you finish the roast.