Fazenda Ouro Verde is one of the four farms owned by Gerson Naimeg. Gerson, son of a German colonizer and a Brazilian mother, founded his first farm in 1965. Fazenda Ouro Verde covers about 130 hectares in the town of Patos de Minas, at an altitude of about 1000 meters above sea level. Only 100 hectares are cultivated while the remaining 30 are destined to natural reserve, where local plants provide an ideal habitat for wildlife. Along with respect for stringent labor standards, the presence of the reserve has allowed Ouro Verde to obtain the Rainforest Alliance certification.

The company successfully grows Catuai and Acaia varieties. We have selected a rare Acaia lot characterised by an extraordinary sweetness, making it ideal for espresso extractions. This lot represents the first decaf coffee offered by Nero Scuro to its customers.

The lot has been processes according to the pulped natural protocol. Ripen cherries are harvested, selected to remove the over- and under-ripe ones, and processed in the depulper to remove the cherry outer skin, leaving the beans with much of the pulp. The cherries are then laid on the patio for a period of about 8 to 10 days and turned around several times a day. During this period, sugars and enzymatic byproducts are absorbed into the heart of the bean. When the right humidity is finally reached, the parchment is moved into the 'tulhas' (large wooden trays) where the coffee is rested and stabilized. Just before shipping, the parchment is removed from the bean and a final inspection is made to remove defective grains before being packed in GrainPro bags to protect the coffee during travel and storage.

The lot was finally decaffeinated using sparkling water, without the use any solvents or chemical compounds. It's a sweet, natural and organically certified process. The good selectivity of carbon dioxide, which only binds to caffeine, ensures a high level of retention of other coffee components that contribute to flavor and aroma. For further details on the sparkling water decaffeination process, see here.

The pulped natural processing donates this coffee the characteristic sweetness and a full distinctive body - great for espresso extractions. The flavour notes we recognized are those of chocolate, caramel, orange, hazelnut.