Region: Sul de Minas, Minas Gerais
Town: Poços de Caldas
Varietals: Yellow Bourbon, Catuaí, Catucaí
Processing: Carbonic Natural CO2 Decaf
Altitude: 1,000 to 1,300 metres
This coffee is a blend of natural coffees from various small producers, all of whom are focused on producing the best quality coffee in the region. All coffees that make it into the blend have been grown in the rich volcanic soil of Poços de Caldas.
The coffees in this blend are carefully mixed to enhance body, aroma and natural sweetness and the natural CO2 process used for all our decaf coffees contributes a unique fruitiness with clean acidity. It works equally well as an espresso or as a base for filter coffees.
Description of the CND Carbonic Natural Carbon Dioxide Coffee Decaffeination Process:
One of the vital elements and most important compounds of our natural environment is carbon dioxide. It is in the air we breathe, it is the gas that makes mineral water effervescent and, by assimilation, enables plants to grow. It is also a highly selective solvent for caffeine. Based on this phenomenon, CR3 developed its Carbonic Natural Decaffeination Process. In this patented process, the natural carbon dioxide is usedunder sub-critical conditions, i.e. in a liquid state at low temperature and pressure (relative to the supercritical process). These particularly gentle process parameters, together with the good caffeine selectivity of CO2, guarantee a high retention rate of the coffee components responsible for aroma and taste. The process can be described in detail as follows: The raw, unroasted coffee is moistened with water and put into a vessel where it is brought into contact with pressurised, liquid carbon dioxide. By circulation through the coffee, the carbon dioxide draws the caffeine out of the bean. In an evaporator, the caffeine precipitates out from the CO2 which, after evaporation and re-condensation, is pumped again into the vessel containing the coffee for a new cycle. When the required residual caffeine level is reached, the CO2 circulation is stopped, and the coffee is discharged into a drier where it is gently dried until it reaches the original moisture content. The coffee is then ready for roasting. The specific characteristics of the CR3 Carbonic Natural Decaffeination Process are:
• The compounds responsible for the flavour and the taste in the roasted and brewed coffee, as well as the cell structure of the green and roasted bean, are left essentially intact. This is of clear benefit in fine, high-grade coffees.
• The coffee is placed in contact with only 100% natural substances – carbon dioxide, and pure water.
• Certification as Organic and Kosher by the appropriate organisations/authorities.
Why the 'Alagoas Curassow'?
The Alagoas Curassow (Pauxi mitu) is a critically endangered bird species that is extinct in the wild. Its survival is a result of a captive breeding program, with recent efforts underway to reintroduce individuals into protected areas in Brazil.
It is a large, all-black bird, around 83–89 cm in length, with a purplish-blue gloss, chestnut coloration on its lower underparts, and a distinct two-toned red bill.
The main causes of its extinction in the wild were extensive habitat loss due to the expansion of the sugarcane and alcohol industry, combined with intensive hunting.
