Brazilian roasters in the spotlight
In many countries around the world, roasters are recognized for their talent and experience to create fantastic coffees full of aroma and different flavors. Brazil, on the other hand, is lagging a little behind when it comes to appreciating coffee roasters. That's why we at Cropster wanted to organise a special event to put Brazilian roasters into the spotlight. The first edition of the Cropster Profiles event was mainly organised by our Brazilian representative Lívia Mundim this March. It was held in the cafe OCabral, located in Jardins, an upscale neighborhood of São Paulo, the largest city in South America. OCabral is a very open and inviting space with a great atmosphere, so it served as a perfect environment to experience the essence of specialty coffee.
This inaugural event was well attended by head roasters, baristas, coffee shop owners and many coffee enthusiasts, and we were grateful to see how many people joined us at OCabral. A lot of coffee professionals who are well known in the specialty coffee industry in Brazil and specifically Sao Paulo were also invited (see who swung by below). Journalists from the main coffee publications in the country, i.e. Perfect Daily Grind Brasil, Revista Espresso and Barista Wave were also present; the latter was responsible for the live broadcast of the event.
All photos were taken by Mariana Nakagawa
More about the coffee & who accepted the challenge
The goal of the event was to highlight the importance and influence of data collection on roasting and quality control. The award-winning Fazenda Primavera provided a geisha grown in an agroforestry system (note: this coffee was also the winner of the Cup Of Excellence 2018 and came in second place in the 2019 Cup of Excellence). It was roasted by seven renowned guest roasters who were excited to accept the challenge.
- Fabio Nakasato, Isso É Café
- Juliana Ganan, Tocaya
- Luiz Figueiredo, Um Coffee & Co
- Thiago Sabino, Sensory Coffee Roasters
- Paulo Gabriel, Sofa Café
- Natalia Braga, Future Cafeteria
- Jonathan Piazarolo, da Trentino Cafés Especiais
Profile creation and cupping with Cropster
Using Cropster and their own roasting machine, each developed their unique roast profile, leaving their personal mark on the coffee. On the day of the event, Lívia Mundim gave an introductory presentation about Cropster, its tools and features that are available for everyone in the coffee supply chain, from producers at origin to cafe owners. The cupping was coordinated by scientist Verônica Belchior, a specialist in coffee chemistry. Each profile was presented by the roaster who created it, bringing to light the aspects that he or she sought to highlight in this exotic microlot. The roasters also shared their experiences with Cropster and how essential the tool has become for their day-to-day roasting operations.
The event was attended by guests such as Thiago Borba (3 Brothers Coffee), from Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais; Matheus Filagrana (roast master at Blum's Kaffee), from Blumenau, Santa Catarina; Camila Arcanjo (Researcher at Sindicafe) and Mariane Rabelo PHD student at Lavras University), Lavras, Minas Gerais. A total of 40 participants took part in the cupping and evaluated the roasting profiles using the Cropster Cup app. One of the best organized events in which I participated in a long time. The idea was fantastic. It is very interesting to see in practice how the roasting influences the sensory profile and how the coffee changes according to each roaster, said coffee exporter Thiago Borba.
At the end of the event, each attendee received the Roast compare report of all the roasting profiles which was shared from Cropster. Since the data was collected in real time using Cropster Cup, we were also able to share the results of the sensorial analysis for each coffee.
All photos were taken by Mariana Nakagawa
Support the community
The roasted coffees are being sold in bulk at Iso É Café, one of the most respected roasteries in Brazil. The money raised from the sales will be donated to the social project Fazedores de Café, from the Cafeteria Sofa Café, which offers barista training for young people in socially vulnerable situations.
From start to finish, Cropster Profiles was only able to come together thanks to the partnership of many professionals in the specialty coffee industry in Brazil. The result was a day full of good energy, incredible coffees and lots of study and research material on coffee roasting and quality control.
