The internet connections have bin as scarce as washed coffee in Brazil. So here is a recap of iur last couple of days bringing us through Matas de Minas, Minas Gerais and Sul de Minas.
This beautiful lady greeted us in the coffee fields at Café Brauna, one of the coffees featured at Nordic Barista Cup this year. Café Brauna has 300 ha, 100 of them used for coffee, and produce 2-4000 bags a year, all of them microlots. in the field they were doing the cleaning = swiping the ground to remove all the cherries and raisin cherries that could/ would attract broca.
Alfonso the owner (nr 3 from left) and Joao the agronomist (nr 3 from right) + their wives cooked a deliscious dinner for us and poured cacasa and beer in us – resulting in a happy mood and a variety of hats worn.
At the Federal University of Vicosa they do research in “precision agriculture” which (in short) in to look for better quality (to get higher profits) by using mechanical sensors to only apply seeds, fertilizer, pesticides to what is needed in each part of the field. They also do research in roasting and what the husk can be used for (and which machines are needed to do so. Pictures is professor Tetuo Hara and the roasting researcher.
Fazenda Sertao in Sao Lourenso (800 hectars, 14-1500 m altitude) owns Carmo Coffee and Unique café. Here Adelroberto shows us the plantation, where he spent his summers as a kid and now works for Unique café as a roaster. They have 1 million trees on the farm, which are processed at Cocarive Cooperative, where they also process coffees from all the region.
After the visit at Cocarive
Coop we wereinvited to cupping at Carmo by professor Falvio Borim from the University at Lavras. He is researching in the taste of different processes and different varieties.
Next up was a visit to the APAE, the social project which Nordic Barista Cup donated money to. We met 3 kids and a fotball and soon the football field was in use.
The kids has prepared a dance/song coregraphy for us, leaving nothing behind as regards moves, shakes and cuteness.
After the show everybody gathered at the table full of sweets, cakes and soda. The kids sang a song because it was the Childrens Day in Brazil (and because they were happy to have cake and soda).
Unique cafés had prepared a latte art throw down – which was loud and fun. Three Brazileiros judged the competition, which had Felipe as the Winner of the night. Prize included coffee from Unique Café and … to much joy, a 2013 NBC cupping spoon. these were the 2 final cups poured.
Here is the Winner Felipe from Unique cafés, who poured the coffee to the left (surprise!).
