Brazil Cerrado Coffee Beans: the highest grade of the famous Brazilian beans, lively and inviting with a smooth, sweet taste. Beans from the Cerrado region have cupped better than those from the Santos region. Cerrado is a huge region in Brazil, meaning "savanna", or central plateau. Coffee grown in this region is cultivated at an altitude of 200-500 meters above sea level--quite a bit lower than our Strictly Hard Bean (SHB) Central American Coffees. Because Cerrado is a softer bean, some roasters think it shouldn't be roasted overly dark. Other Roasters thinks Cerrado should be roasted dark, but watch out for scorching. Dark roasting brings out an exceptional nutty flavor and enhances the body of the coffee. Our Cerrado is a traditionally natural dry processed coffee. This method creates a complexity of flavors. Brazilian coffees make excellent bases for some very intriguing blends, particularly in espresso. A lot of the very best espresso blends have a Brazilian base. Many of the finest Italian espresso blends are mostly Brazilian coffee. It will add body and sweetness to your blend, and helps form a wonderful crema in your espresso. Since it is a dry processed coffee, it may roast a bit unevenly, but this only adds to the complexity in the cup. It actually makes a fine cup on it's own. Hardness of the Bean: Moderately dense--softer than high grown Central American coffees. Roasting: Start with a Full City to Full City + (Medium to Medium Dark). Because Brazilian coffees tend to be grown at lower elevations than Central American coffees, the bean is not as hard so approach it with a gentler roast profile until you get accustomed to it. This coffee benefits from an extended rest (72+ hours). Recommendation: For people who enjoy coffee with lots of body and low acidity. The lower acidity means virtually no "bite". Again, this is a superb coffee for Italian style espresso, either single origin, or as a majority of a blend.
