Brazil: Rio Brilhante

This easy drinking cup is all milk chocolate and Brazil nuts, with just a little buttery biscuit note on the finish.

There's something rather poetic about a farm named after the crystal-clear water that sustains it. Rio Brilhante – 'bright river' in Portuguese – draws its lifeblood from the Guarani Aquifer, the second largest underground reservoir on the planet.

Inacio Carlos Urban first planted trees here back in 1984, and what started as one man's dream of sustainable, innovative coffee production has grown into one of Brazil's largest speciality farms. We're talking 1,627 hectares under coffee across a 2,350-hectare estate in Coromandel. To put that in perspective, it's roughly the size of a small town.

Cerrado Mineiro itself holds a rather prestigious distinction – it's one of the few coffee regions in the world to have received official 'Origin status', similar to Champagne. Only coffee grown here can bear the Cerrado name. The region's perfect balance of wet and dry seasons, combined with altitudes between 1,000 and 1,250 metres, creates ideal growing conditions.

What sets Rio Brilhante apart is the meticulous attention to detail. Soil and leaf samples are analysed quarterly, with corrections made using specific fertilisers based on the results. It's precision farming at its finest. For this natural-processed lot, cherries are hand-picked, sorted, then spread in thin layers on patios to dry for around 23 days until they reach that sweet spot of 12% moisture.

The farm is now a family affair, with Inacio's sons involved in daily operations and a genuine commitment to their community through initiatives like 'Seeds of Change' – a programme helping staff develop essential life skills. It's the kind of place where coffee, family and sustainability feel genuinely intertwined.

• Country: Brazil
• Region: Cerrado
• Nearest town: Coromandel
• Farm: Rio Brilhante
• Producer: Inacio Carlos Urban
• Farm size: 2,350 hectares
• Coffee production area: 1,627 hectares
• Elevation: 1,050 m.a.s.l.
• Varietal: Yellow Catuai
• Process: Natural
  

Medium Dark

We're taking this one a little slower and steadier than usual, letting the roast develop fully to bring out all those layers of sweetness the natural process has to offer. It's a medium-dark profile that stops just shy of second crack – that point where the beans would start to take on smokier, more roasty characteristics. By pulling it back right before that threshold, we're preserving the inherent fruitiness and sweetness from the cherry while still building plenty of body and a smooth, rounded finish. Think rich caramel and milk chocolate rather than anything too punchy or bright. It's a roast that rewards patience, both ours and yours.

Tasting notes: Milk chocolate, Brazil nut, biscuit

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean Cup: 6/8
• Sweetness: 6/8
• Acidity: 6/8
• Mouthfeel: 6.5/8
• Flavour: 6/8
• Aftertaste: 6/8
• Balance: 6.5/8
• Overall: 6.5/8
• Correction: (+36): +36
• Total: 85.5/100

If you would like to find out more about how we score coffees, make sure to read our blog post "What Do Coffee Cuppings Scores Actually Mean?" by clicking here.

Our coffee is roasted fresh and ships quickly – which means it might arrive a little lively. Here's the thing: freshly roasted beans are still busy releasing carbon dioxide (a natural byproduct of roasting), and all that activity can make your brew taste a bit sharp or unsettled.

Give it a few days to calm down and something lovely happens. Those brighter, edgier notes mellow out, sweetness develops, and the flavours you're actually after can really come into focus.

We recommend resting your coffee for at least 5-7 days from the roast date on the bag before brewing. A little patience goes a long way.

That said, this is just what we've found works best – not a rule. If you can't wait, we completely understand. Tuck in whenever you like.