The coffee market is filled with distinct profiles and varieties, which can make the buying and selling process challenging. Each batch of coffee has unique characteristics that influence the final flavor, making it essential to understand these nuances to meet international demands. Buyers face the challenge of pinpointing exactly what each coffee offers to ensure it meets their specific needs.
In this context, Atlantica Coffee stands out by offering a rich variety of flavor profiles that reflect the diversity of Brazilian coffee. For over two decades, Atlantica Coffee has been dedicated to addressing these challenges, preserving the essence of Brazilian coffees, and catering to a wide range of international preferences. To better understand the differences in flavors, it is crucial to comprehend how cultivation impacts the final beverage.
Variety of Terroirs, Variety of Flavors
The rich diversity of Brazilian coffee flavors reflects the variety of coffee-growing regions in the country. At Atlantica, we work with green coffee beans from the “Superior” and “Commercial” lines from various coffee regions, such as Norte de Minas, Chapada de Minas, Cerrado Mineiro, Matas de Minas, Sul de Minas, Alta Mogiana, and Garça. Each region brings its own characteristics, contributing distinct flavor and aroma profiles.
The diversity of microclimates in coffee cultivation has led producers to develop different post-harvest processes to enhance the final result. Each processing method is adapted to highlight the best characteristics of the beans, showcasing the care and dedication of the producers.
The main processing methods used include:
- Washed: The coffee is pulped and washed to remove mucilage before drying, resulting in clean beans full of nuances.
- Natural: Beans are dried with the skin and pulp still present, resulting in complex and intense flavors.
- Semi-washed: Beans are harvested ripe, pulped, but not fully de-mucilaged, and then dried, resulting in unique sensory profiles with balance and smoothness.
With so many options and distinct characteristics, how can we ensure that each coffee meets international standards and preferences?
Atlantica’s Solution: The Sensory Wheel
To tackle this challenge, Atlantica developed its own sensory wheel to classify and designate its coffee lines. During cupping rounds, we determine which coffees fit into each group, evaluating acidity, sweetness level, body, entry, and finish in each cup, so we can present the best that Brazilian coffee producers have to offer to the international market.
With the creation of the wheel, the following types of coffee were defined: Fine Cup, Good Cup, and Rio Minas, each type having distinct coffee lines.
Fine Cup
Designed for consumers who appreciate uniformity and lightness, the Fine Cup group includes coffees with various processes such as washed, semi-washed, or natural. The Fine Cup line offers five distinct varieties: Rosa Morena, Ágata, Esmeralda, Turquesa, and Safira. Each of these has an acidity profile ranging from balanced to medium.
- Rosa Morena: This coffee stands out for its harmonious combination of mild acidity, delicate sweetness, and balanced body. Its floral aroma and precise flavor reveal subtle and complex notes.
- Ágata: With a striking sweetness, this Fine Cup natural offers clean and uniform cups with balanced acidity. Its smooth body and flavor provide a rich and engaging sensory experience, highlighting the smoothness of Brazilian coffee.
- Esmeralda: This natural-processed coffee is characterized by its pronounced acidity and medium body. The cups offer a clean and pleasant beverage, free from defects, with noticeable acidity and a smoothly full-bodied sensory profile.
- Turquesa: The Turquesa coffee is a semi-washed variety that exemplifies balance. With harmonious acidity and body, its cups are clean and consistent, offering a steady combination of notes that express perfection in every sip.
- Safira: This washed coffee is appreciated for its medium acidity and consistent body. Safira offers a smooth and sweet beverage, with a sensory experience that delights in both aroma and flavor, from start to finish.
Good Cup
Characterized by some uniformity between cups, light body, low acidity, and slight bitterness, the Good Cup type includes three coffees: Turmalina, Rubi, and Topázio, all from the natural drying method:
- Turmalina: Natural, Good Cup, strictly soft coffee that may exhibit uniformity between cups, but is free from defective cups. Its finish is slightly bitter, and its beans provide harmony in blend compositions.
- Rubi: May have up to 2 defective cups in a cupping with 10 cups. It has a slightly bitter finish.
- Topázio: A coffee with hard cups, defective, and up to two defective cups in a cupping with 10 cups. Its beverage has a bitter finish.
Rio Minas
A distinct coffee with strong flavors and characteristics enhanced by natural drying, standing out in markets such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Argentina. Includes the Ônix variety:
- Ônix: An irregular beverage with a bitter finish, offering a strong flavor characteristic of Rio Minas. This coffee is part of the culture and tradition of many countries, particularly in Eastern Europe.
Each coffee has its own characteristics, reflecting the diversity of beans and production methods. At Atlantica Coffee, we deeply value the richness of the different profiles that Brazilian coffees offer. We believe that no profile is superior to another; instead, each profile meets distinct needs and preferences, shaped by cultural and market factors around the world. Our commitment is to promote this diversity, ensuring that each cup offers an authentic and satisfying experience, aligned with the expectations and traditions of each region.