Maria Helena Sequeira - Fazenda Palmital - Mantiqueira de Minas, Brazil

Maria Helena Siqueira is a 5th generation award winning coffee farmer who’s been mastering the art of anaerobic coffee fermentation for the last 4 years. Maria’s farm, Palmital, is situated on the northern side of the Mantiqueira mountains in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. In 2020, her farm received Denomination of Origin by the National Institute of Industrial Property meaning that her coffee has unique characteristics, linked to natural and human factors. Since 2020, Maria has been producing high quality anaerobics which even led them to winning 1st place in the Nucoffee Artisans competition in Brazil.

Anaerobic processing is a very important and unique processing method that involves the fermentation of the coffee cherries in a tank without oxygen, hence the term “anaerobic”. The process is still fairly new to the coffee industry and holds potential to push the tastable flavors in coffee to new levels! The easiest way to explain how this process works is to compare it directly to making wine in tanks with airlocks. The coffee is sorted and placed into a container with water and maybe a starter yeast. It is sealed from the elements with an airlock which only allows gas to escape but not enter the tank. The flavors that become possible range from overripe fruit to grape juice fruity-ass funky-wunky wine notes!

The anaerobic process still requires further drying and processing of the cherry so farmers pick between the natural, washed, or honey process. Think of it as adding a first step to an already widely used processing method which transforms the coffee from 3 dimensional multi colored butterfly to a mind-bending, retina-searing angelic unicorn!

notes: gummies, sweet vermouth, cantaloupe
varietals: catucai
elevation: 1150m
processing: anaerobic natural

12 oz. whole bean coffee