Brazil Dry Process Santa Maria do Vintém

Santa Maria do Vintém farm is located in the Vintém neighborhood of Santa Rita do Sapucaí, a historical center for Santa Rita where some of the fist settlers built homes. The farm is run by a mother and daughter team, Maria Christina and Maria Stella, who are the 4th and 5th generation respectively to work this land. We weren't able to stop there on our visit last August, but are told that it's 22 hectares in size, 1100-1300 meters above sea level and is planted mostly in Catuaí. This is a dry process lot, meaning the whole coffee cherry is dried with the seeds still intact. In some parts of the world, this leads to fruit flavors in the cup. In Brazil, however, this process method tends to have more of an impact on body. While Santa Maria's coffee does show a hint of fruit, we found it to be based in bittersweetness, with heavy body that works wonders as espresso. When roasting, expect more chaff than a wet process coffee, as well as uneven roast coloring (especially when roasted to City+). We also notice the cup flavors seem to fall into place with at least 48 hours rest after roasting.