Guariroba - Brazil - Aerobic Honey - Arara
An absolutely wild expression of Arara from the wizards at Fazenda Guariroba! Guariroba is arguably Brazil's most famous farm after winning multiple awards, including 1st Place in Cup of Excellence 2016 and 2nd place in this years Melhor Cafe 'Coffee of the Year'. High altitudes, lush terroir, sustainable agriculture and highly advanced processing make for some truly special coffee. This Arara lot is their aerobic honey, a multi-stage process that includes a fermentation with yeast, an oxidation phase and finally drying in mucilage as a 'honey'. The result is a spicy, biscuity coffee with layered notes of clove, citrus, dark fruit, dark chocolate, star anise, rosemary?! There's a lot to unpack, even more to enjoy.
Info
Farm
Guariroba is managed by Homero Paiva. The farm expands over 250 hectares, with 140 solely dedicated to coffee production. They grow a collection of varietals including Yellow Catucaí, Yellow Bourbon, Yellow Icatu, Catiguá, Red Catuaí, Yellow Catuaí, Topázio, Pink Bourbon, Arara, Geisha, and Sidra.
Region
Guariroba Farm is located in Santo Antônio do Amparo, a small town in Campo das Vertentes, a region renowned for growing specialty coffees in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
Impact
The farm is UTZ certified. UTZ is the worlds largest sustainable coffee cultivation program.
Elevation
Fazenda Guariroba sits at an altitude of 1,200 masl.
Variety
Arara is a leaf rust and disease resistant variety that was developed by Fundação Procafé in Brazil. The variety was released in 2012 after 15 years of research but was actually discovered as a naturally occurring cross. It is a hybrid of Yellow Catuai and Obatã, from which it gets its disease resistance. Arara has become a very popular variety in Brazil due to its yellow cherries, compact size, high yields, and very good cup quality.
Process
The harvest is carried out when the coffee reaches above 24° Brix. The beans undergo hydraulic sorting, after which the coffee is pulped and placed in an open bioreactor with the addition of oxygen and in the presence of selected microorganisms from the crop itself for approximately 46 hours. Drying takes place on African beds for 30-40 days
Family
The land on which Guariroba currently sits has been growing coffee since the 19th century and has been passed down through 5 generations, now in the hands of Homero Aguiar Paiva.
Homero acquired part of the century-old Fazenda Cachoeira and, with the help of his agronomist brother Renato Paiva, completely redesigned the agriculture. They selectively chose the best coffee varieties and seed stock they could find, giving rise to Fazenda Guariroba, named in honor of the lands of his maternal grandparents.
Arara
Arara is a compact, resistant variety with yellow fruit and excellent cup quality.
The variety was 'created' by a natural cross pollination between Sarchimor and most likely Yellow Catuai or Yellow Icatu. The first plant was found in a master plantation in Brazil in the early 2000's called Sarchimor 1669-20. The yellow-fruited plant was isolated and selectively bred over 3 years to produce the now stable variety known as Arara.
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