About This Coffee
Cascavel Vermelha is part of our Sucafina Originals range, our line of consistent and affordable blends directly sourced from our vertically-integrated supply chain.
The rattlesnake, known as Cascavel in Portuguese, gets a bad rap. Its reactive tendency to defend itself from all perceived threats makes it a frightening opponent. But it’s also essential to the coffee ecosystem. In addition to their beautiful markings, rattlesnakes eat rodents and other small animals. They keep these pests far away from coffee fields where they could wreak havoc by burrowing into coffee tree root systems or chewing through irrigation setups.
Our Cascavel Vermelha (Portuguese for red) has lots of red fruit and refined sweetness. Sourced through our vertically-integrated supply chain, our 84 SCA cup Cascavel offers sustainable, consistent coffees at accessible pricing. Our experienced QC origin teams specially select every coffee that makes its way into our high-quality Cascavel blends. We focus on whole-harvest sourcing, producer resilience and roaster success.
While you’re thinking about the practical and aesthetic positives of rattlesnakes, make sure to check out our Cascavel Verde (Portuguese for green). The Verde is a sweet 84-cup Brazil with brown sugar and citrus notes.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Most Brazilian coffee is grown on huge farms, built to maximize productivity. The relatively flat landscape across many of Brazil’s coffee regions makes mechanical harvesting more possible and that, combined with high minimum wages that make labor more expensive, has led most farms to opt for this type of mechanical harvesting over selective hand-picking.
While, in the past, this mechanization meant that strip-picking was the norm, today’s mechanical harvesters are increasingly sensitive and allow farms to harvest on fully ripe cherries. With the aid of newer, more selective technologies, there’s a growing number of farms who are increasingly concerned with – and able to deliver - cup quality.
In many cases, a mixed form of ‘manual mechanized’ harvesting may be used, especially on less level sections of farms. Ripe coffee is picked using a derricadeira – a sort of mechanized rake that uses vibration to gently harvest ripe cherry from trees. A tarp is spanned between coffee trees to capture the cherry as it falls.
This coffee has been selected based on its fruity profile. In most cases, Natural processing connotes such flavors; however, this coffee may have some Pulped Natural contributions as well. Natural lots will be dried on large patios under sun, while Pulped Natural will be pulped and then laid to dry on patios. In both cases, the coffee will be raked and turned regularly to ensure even drying and a clean cup profile.
Coffee in Brazil
Just under 40% of all coffee in the world is produced in Brazil - around 3.7 million metric tons annually. With so much coffee produced, it’s no wonder that the country produces a wide range of qualities. Brazil produces everything from natural Robusta, to the neutral and mild Santos screen 17/18, to the distinctive Rio Minas 17/18. In recent years, Brazilian producers have also begun investing more heavily in specialty coffee production. Through our in-country partners in Brazil, including our sister company, we are able to provide a wide range of Brazilian coffees to our clients: from macrolot to microlot.
Today, the most prolific coffee growing regions of Brazil are Espirito Santo, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia. Most Brazilian coffee is grown on large farms that are built and equipped for maximizing production output through mechanical harvesting and processing. The relatively flat landscape across many of Brazil’s coffee regions combined with high minimum wages has led most farms to opt for this type of mechanical harvesting over selective hand-picking.
In the past, mechanization meant that strip-picking was the norm; however, today’s mechanical harvesters are increasingly sensitive, meaning that farms can harvest only fully ripe cherries at each pass, which is good news for specialty-oriented producers.
In many cases and on less level sections of farms, a mixed form of ‘manual mechanized’ harvesting may be used, where ripe coffee is picked using a derriçadeira – a sort of mechanized rake that uses vibration to harvest ripe cherry. A tarp is spanned between coffee trees to capture the cherry as it falls.
With the aid of these newer, more selective technologies, there’s a growing number of farms who are increasingly concerned with – and able to deliver - cup quality.