Sandbox - Natural Red Catuai | Brazil

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Brazil — Jorge Barretto Casa Almeida Red Catuai (Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍩 Chocolate Donut • 🍎 Apple • 🍫 Cocoa

DETAILS

• Producer: Jorge Barretto
• Farm: Casa Almeida
• Region: Minas Gerais, Brazil
• Varietal: Red Catuai
• Process: Natural
• Harvest: 2025
• Size: 200g

INTRO

A comforting, sweet-forward natural from Casa Almeida in Minas Gerais — one of Brazil's most respected specialty estates. The Red Catuai's natural processing delivers a pronounced chocolate-driven sweetness with a soft, pastry-like quality, gentle apple notes in the background, and a mellow, integrated acidity that makes this an honest and deeply satisfying cup.

THE PRODUCER

Casa Almeida is a family estate in Minas Gerais specialising in both specialty coffee and wine, led by Jorge Barretto. Their philosophy centres on minimal intervention — allowing the distinct character of each variety, terroir, and climate to express itself naturally rather than imposing heavy processing techniques. Scientific rigour and artisanal craft sit side by side on the farm, and a strong commitment to sustainability and community runs through everything they do, from soil management through to working conditions for their team.

Red Catuai is a compact, highly productive dwarf variety — a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra — widely grown across Brazil for its resilience and ease of harvest. When processed naturally, as here, it reliably delivers the clean, chocolate-heavy base and subtle red fruit character for which it is prized.

THE PROCESS

The Natural process at Casa Almeida involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Ripe cherries selectively harvested 🔍 Sorting — Defective and underripe cherries removed before drying ☀️ Sun drying — Whole cherries spread in thin layers to dry for two to four weeks 🔄 Regular turning — Cherries turned throughout drying to ensure evenness and prevent mould 🌾 Hulling — Dried outer layers removed to reveal the green bean

The extended sun drying is the defining step — the bean rests inside the whole cherry throughout, slowly absorbing the fruit's sugars and developing the cocoa-rich sweetness and subtle apple character that define this lot.

THE CUP

A structured, reliable, and deeply satisfying natural from one of Minas Gerais' most thoughtful estates — rich with chocolate and soft pastry sweetness, with just enough fruit complexity to reward attention. A benchmark Brazilian natural.

Flavour Notes

🍩 Chocolate Donut 🍎 Apple 🍫 Cocoa