Brazil - Fazenda Santuario Sul

Fazenda Santuario Sul is an “innovation lab” led by fourth generation producer Luiz Paolo. This farm was designed by Luiz to challenge the common view of Brazilian coffees as being only chocolaty and nutty, or only great for blenders. In this vein, Luiz planted more than 30 exotic varieties in a “test garden” environment. This Starmaya cultivar is a great example of the work that Luiz is doing. When we cupped this coffee, alongside the geisha, SL 28, yellow bourbon, and Sudan Rume varietals from Santuario Sul, it stood out for its sweet acidity, gentle mouthfeel, and interesting flavour.

The Starmaya cultivar was developed by CIRAD and Ecom and it is the first F1 hybrid that is capable of being propagated by seed rather than costly cloning, making its great genetics more accessible to producers.

This coffee went through a stage of controlled fermentation before being dried in whole fruit as a natural. We find that this processing brings about a pleasant tropicality to this coffee, and you won’t find something typically “Brazilian” here. Rather, we’re tasting sweet yellow fruits, a vibrant juicy acidity, and a creamy mouthfeel.