Espírito Santo is a small state located in southeastern Brazil, along the country’s eastern coast. Its proximity to the ocean means that it has a specific microclimate which influences coffee production in a very particular way. With altitudes between 700 and 1,300 m.a.s.l., Espírito Santo offers ideal conditions for the production of specialty coffee. It has good rainfall, moderate temperatures, and excellent soil, altogether making it perfect for growing sweet, rich coffees with good acidity. In spite of this, coffee from Espírito Santo does not always necessarily meet its true potential as far as quality is concerned. Consequently, to help drive up cup scores and support local coffee producers, a number of initiatives have launched in the state in recent years.

One such example is Bourbon Specialty Coffees’ Microlot Contest. As part of the initiative, Bourbon Specialty has put together a team containing Q graders and a food engineer to improve cup quality and complexity for coffee producers in the region. After sourcing a range of coffees, they put together a contest where their QC team cupped and ranked them. We’re delighted to announce that we’ve bought some of these outstanding coffees to share with our roaster partners