Brazil Vila Boa Anaerobic Natural

Tasting Notes: Roasted Almond, Sugarcane, Berry
Origin: Carmo de Mata, Campo das Vertentes, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Process: Anaerobic Natural

Monica Borges de Sousa graduated with a degree in psychology, but after inheriting some land from her father, she decided to shift gears and devote herself to coffee farming. Given the quality of coffee she grows at Fazenda Vila Boa (which is Rainforest Alliance certified and Carbon Positive, by the way), we think this was a great life choice. Maybe her psych skills lead to happier coffee plants?

In any case, this is a beautiful micro-lot anaerobic natural coffee. What we like the best is how super clean it tastes. The well-rounded cup has notes of toasty almond, sugarcane, and berries, plus a sweet finish.

What the heck is anaerobic processing? It's all about fermentation. Normally, coffee cherries are left to ferment out in the open, where the yeast get to work converting sugars to all the complex flavors we love in our coffee. But it turns out that if you ferment the cherries in an anaerobic environment (that is, in a vessel with no oxygen), fermentation goes much more slowly, and you end up with a totally different spectrum of flavors. Nerdy cool, right?