SCA Showcase Combo - Fazenda Samambaia, Brazil

At SCA 2023, we partnered with Fazenda Samambia to offer a variety of different coffees. For a limited time we are selling a 3-pack of these coffees! (Each bag will contain a 100 grams.)

This coffee is a collection of Fazenda Samambaia and its neighboring farms. The Peaberry is separated from the rest of the harvest at the dry mill, and this lot comes from those coffees that were processed in a 'classic' natural process.

Although we are highlighting the use of fermentation, we included this coffee because Samambaia is aiming to avoid any unintentional ferment. For one, there is no water contact with these natural processed coffees. Post-harvesting, they make their way straight to the patio. Additionally, once the cherries are on the patio, they are spread extremely thin with the goal not to stack. Once they hit a moisture level of 20%, they move to the mechanical dryers where they follow a planned drying curve, not that unlike our roasting curves.

This 'in pile' process starts with the selecting of cherries which are at the peak of their ripeness. This ensures that there is a high sugar content and thus provides the enhanced microbial activity Samambaia is after. Post-selection, the cherries are placed in thick lines or piles (30-40cm high) on the patio. The thickness of the pile slows down the drying rate because the beans have less contact with sunlight. Conversely, this increases the fermentation rate. This lot underwent 72 hours to complete its fermentation period. Once fermentation was concluded, the beans were spread thinly on the patio.

Samambaia starts the anaerobic fermentation process with coffee cherries that measure at least a Brix value of 20. They are then placed in clean plastic barrels, which are sealed with an airtight valve.

Over the next 5 days, Samambaia monitors the temperature and pH levels of the coffee mass. This gives Samambaia an indication of the rate of fermentation and how to handle the given coffee. Once the fermentation process is finished, the cherries are moved to raised beds and undergo standard drying protocols for naturals.