Brazil Rafael Vinhal Lot 033 Double Honey - Filter Roast

COUNTRY - Brazil
REGION - Cerrado Mineiro
ALTITUDE - 980 M.A.S.L
VARIETAL - Topazio
PROCESSING METHOD - Double Fermented Honey (Thermal Shock)

RAFAEL VINHAL
Since 1988 Vinhal Farm has been producing very high quality coffees in the heart of Minas Gerais state, in Cerrado Mineiro Region - Brazil. Throughout this trajectory they have improved their work and adopted the best sustainability practices and respect for people and the environment. They are a family running a business and everyone who works in the farm is absolutely passionate about their coffee.

Their properties are certified by Rainforest Alliance, 4C and Certifica Minas. With great care and relying on innovative craft production, they do their best to ensure that their coffees stand out both in the domestic and foreign markets, and they are very proud of all the awards they have already won in some of the main quality contests in Brazil.

Sustainability and Quality are their main focuses - their properties (Recanto Farm and Estrela Farm) have three different independent certifications, two of them international: the Rainforest Alliance, with headquarters in the USA, and the 4C Common Code of the Coffee Community, from Germany; and one of them, national: Certifica Minas, ran by Minas Gerais state.

To achieve and maintain these certifications, they need to comply with a series of standards regarding issues such as: environmental conservation and sustainable production, good social practices and working conditions, an efficient management and control system for the entire production chain and, of course, full compliance with all current legislation. Thus, they periodically receive audits on farms to validate the fulfillment of more than 100 evaluation criteria

Rafael Vinhal is the eldest son of Afonso and Marcelia. Being better every day in all aspects of his life is what marks his path. In 2012, he was responsible for the certification of the properties and for the implementation of the post-harvest structure aiming at the production of differentiated microlots.

DOUBLE FERMENT HONEY
Rafael Vinhal is known for his experimental processing and the processing on this lot is crazy!
After being mechanically harvested the coffee cherries were washed and sorted to select only ripe cherries. They then underwent a dry aerobic fermentation for 46 hours, after which they were subject to a 'thermal shock' stage. The coffee then underwent a second fermentation, this time a dry anaerobic one for 190 hours and then were subject to a second thermal shock stage. It was only after this that the cherries were de-pulped before undergoing a third and final (anaerobic) fermentation (with 100% mucilage remaining) for 72 hours. Finally the coffee was dried on raised beds for 21 days.

Topazio is a cross between Mundo Novo and Yellow Catuai, first selected at IAC in the 1960’s and later intensified by the state research organization EPAMIG in Minas Gerais. The trees have a low, relatively compact stature but are not resistant to diseases. Cherries ripen to deep yellow, inspiring its name indicative of the yellow gemstone. Topazio is leafy with a high capacity for production and mostly even cherry maturation, making it an efficient varietal to plant for mechanized harvesting and well suited for larger estates requiring uniform plantings to make the most of labor and management. The Topazio variety is especially well suited to the climate of Minas Gerais and does well at high densities and as part of irrigated plantation