Profile: Strawberry, Bubble Gum, Sherry, Creamy
Producer: Jorge Barakat
Process: Anaerobically Fermented Natural
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Region: Cerrado
Altitude: 970masl
Importer: Kamba
Jorge Barakat owns and runs Paraiso Farm, in the Joao Pinheiro region of Minas Gerais. Jorge fell into coffee by chance, previously living in the nearby city of Belo Horizonte, working as a civil engineer. But over his 30 years, even since his first harvest, he's been highly motivated to the production of specialty coffee. Throughout his years as a producer, the challenges of water scarcity and climate change have pestered him, but he's faced them head on and found his own way of producing great coffees. Paraiso farm is planted with what Jorge calls 'dense coffees', where the coffee trees are planted much closer together and require specific care and attention. As his methods have improved, Jorge has turned to experimental processing methods in search of new and exciting flavour profiles. This Yellow Bourbon lot from Jorge is anaerobically fermented, referring to fermentation with limited oxygen present. This allows greater control of the fermentation process as the diversity of microorganisms is limited. Fermentation is a delicate balancing act, with over fermentation leading to defects. But Jorge was spot on with this lot. The aroma is full of strawberry bubble gum. In the cup, fresh strawberry brings a sharp acidity; with boozy notes of sherry add to that. A bubble gum note provides a creamy mouthfeel and lingering sweetness.
Images Courtesy of Kamba.