This coffee was produced by Jose Santana on his small 4-hectare farm located at 1,350m above sea level in the micro- region of Gerais, near in Piatã, a privileged coffee growing region in Bahia’s Chapada Diamantina region. Chapada Diamantina translates to ”Diamond Plateau” in Portuguese, and for 100 years this area was mined for the gemstones embedded in its cliffs. Today the region is famous for its specialty coffee.
Piatã is a very unique and distinct coffee growing region in Brazil. Coffee grows at elevations of up to 1,400 meters above sea level, which is very high for Brazil. In winter, the temperature ranges from 2°C to 18°C, and these factors, combined with the area’s rich soil and growing conditions, present favourable conditions for the production of high-quality coffee with a cup profile that is very bright, transparent, and distinctive.
This region has only recently started to become recognised internationally for its high quality since the 2009 Cup of Excellence, where five of the top 10 spots came from Piatã. The region’s dominance in the awards has continued every year since and incredibly, in the 2016 Cup of Excellence Pulped Natural competition, an astounding 19 of the 24 winning lots came from Piatã! Piata coffees are now considered some of the best in Brazil. These coffees are extremely limited, and production is relatively small, given the small scale of the farms in this part of Brazil.
Jose has 4 hectares of Red and Yellow Catuaí variety trees growing on his farm. He works on the farm with his son Fabrico and wife, Magali and employs 15 seasonal workers during the harvest, which runs from June until September. In addition to coffee, the family also grow mangos and beans to supplement their income.
This coffee was produced using the pulped natural processing method. Coffee is hand pulped and dried for 10-20 days on patios in the sun and under the shade of a greenhouse with the mucilage still attached. It is then spread into thin layers and raked several times a day to finish the drying process before being rested and hulled.
This is a beautiful coffee to follow our recent purchases of the Brazil Sao Judas from the same region. We love the vibrant acidity in the coffee coupled with the more typical flavours of toasted hazelnut and chocolate.
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