Brazil Carmo de Minas Estate Review
| Date | May 10, 2013 |
| Region | Carmo de Minas, Brazil |
| Altitude | 1200-1400 MASL |
| Varietal | Yellow Catuai, Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon |
| Processing | Natural process (dry) |
We roasted three batches of the Carmo de Minas—light, medium and dark. After resting 24 hours, we cupped the three side by side and compared the taste profiles.
| Yes | Light Roast – The Carmo de Minas is smooth, mild and fairly medium body, with sweet cocoa and toasted nuts and a touch of berries (I can’t decide which berries though.) Pleasant aftertaste, medium-long finish and low acidity round out the profile. This would be a pleasing drip or pour-over breakfast coffee, especially with a pastry. |
| OK | Medium Roast – Same smoothness and mildness, but with more body and less sweetness in the chocolate. Toasted walnuts emerge to compliment the chocolate, and the berries are receding into the background. The entire profile seems more balanced but less sweet. In fact, it might be too balanced to be entirely satisfying to me because of the low acidity. My major complaint is not that it doesn’t taste good, it’s that the profile seems aimless to me—like it wants to go somewhere truly interesting but isn’t there yet. Even if that is true (and it is up to you to decide), the scenery is nice along the way. I brewed this one pour-over and drip for this roast level. Now I wonder if I should have also tried French press… |
| √YES! | Dark Roast – I went all-in on this dark roast, to Vienna/Light French, where it is dark and there is some oil on the outside of the bean, and tried it as a SO espresso. Voila! THIS is what this bean was made for. The dark semi-sweet chocolate became richer, toasted nuts almost overshadow the very faint hint of berries now, and the mouth feel takes on a creamy, heavier character. As an espresso, the bean has nice crema and great structure to hold up to the range of unholy additions that are added. Aftertaste was pleasant and not bitter. In short, this was a crowd-pleaser as espresso. By French press, this is also quite satisfying and delicious. |
Overall, I recommend Dark Roast for this bean, especially if you want to use it for espresso.
Enjoy your coffee!
susan