Rubi Lavado, Brasil

For generations now, the Souzas have been doing things a bit differently in Brasil. Bruno Souza works the land like his father, picking coffee only when it is at its peak, processing cherries carefully in small batches, and ultimately striving for the best coffee he can produce – not just the most coffee he can produce.

Recently, Bruno has been devoting his time and energy to learning how to produce some of the best naturals the area has to offer. This processing style is deceptively tricky – while there is no de-pulping, no tank fermentation, and no cleaning of the fruit until the final stages of milling – there are so many steps in the drying process that can make or break an excellent coffee.

One of the most crucial steps in producing an excellent natural is the harvesting process. Instead of doing the typical single mechanical harvesting pass through the trees, the Souzas work with a rare combination of manual harvesting and multiple passes of a finely-tuned, delicate harvester to ensure that what comes off the trees is at the peak of ripeness. When the cherries reach the mill, they are put into large tanks where immature and damaged ‘floater’ cherries are skimmed off from the harvest.

Drying these cherries slowly and evenly is crucial. To do this, a combination of concrete patios and raised beds are used. The cherries are dried between 2-3 weeks, with attention paid to rotation, temperature, airflow, and sunlight exposure. This natural harvest is full-bodied, sweet, and jammy; an excellent representation of the coffees of the Brasilian Cerrado.