Yellow Bourbon

Description

Located in the middle of the Mantiqueira mountain range, Fazenda Rio Verde has been in existence for over 100 years. The farm is surrounded by virgin forest which has many waterfalls and beautiful hiking trails. It is a true natural sanctuary, where coffee occupies just over 40 percent of the total area.

The soil is predominantly clay on a red mineral volcanic base, rich in decomposable material. On the mountain slopes, the diversity of vegetation has given these soils an unequalled richness in terms of nutrients and organic material.

The Mantiqueira mountain range has its own microclimate with mild temperatures, which range from 18 to 23 degrees Celsius, and an annual rainfall higher than 1,600 millimetres. During winter, the temperature occasionally falls below freezing in low-lying areas. Fazenda Rio Verde has the most rugged terrain amongst the three farms that Ipanema Coffee own. Ranging from 800 to 1,350 metres in altitude, almost all of the farm’s harvest operations must be conducted by hand due to the topography of the land. Another characteristic of this uneven topography is the different amounts of sunlight that each area of the farm receives – this also creates a large number of ‘terroirs’ which create cup characteristics that are completely different from one another, depending on which area of the farm the particular lot was harvested from.

The rugged terrain of Fazenda Rio Verde prevents the use of irrigation, however the rainfall regime is highest amongst all of Ipanema’s farms. The cultivars produced at Fazenda Rio Verde range from Acaia, Mundo Novo, Red Rubi as well as the exceptional Yellow Bourbon, Yellow Catuai and Yellow Icatu.