The coffee of São Tomé and Príncipe Selection by
Dear coffee lover, Our experience comes directly from 40 years of field experience, working with small growers in plantations situated on two continents. I guess the best way to describe how we work is to say that we cultivate - without any chemical products - the land, the plant and the fruit with the same care and attention than a great vintner when growing his vine and working in the cellar. We have always put our emphasis on perfect integration, both with the people we work with as much as the environment we work in, without altering either of them. CLAUDIO CORALLO
SĂŁ
We are based in the second-smallest state of Africa, the Democ straddling the equator. Former Portuguese colony in the Gulf Remote from mainstream tourism, it’s one of the last almost unt
ão Tomé and Príncipe
cratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe, two volcanic islands f of Guinea, the archipelago earned its independency in 1975. touched paradises of the world.
Over the last forty years, throughout the world we saw the declin high-yielding hybrids, unfortunately much less flavoursome. Coff
ne of excellent and very old varieties of fruit, replaced by modern ffee and cocoa did not escape this market rule.
SĂŁo TomĂŠ, Nova Moca plantation, species Arabica coffee, variety Bourbon
The bliss to discover the original taste of
a fruit, and the freedom to chose.
SĂŁo TomĂŠ, Nova Moca plantation, species Arabica coffee, variety Novo Mundo
SĂŁo TomĂŠ, Nova Moca plantation, harvesting the species Arabica coffee, variety Caturra
A short story about coffee species and their varieties Contrary to what one might think, the coffee Arabica and the coffee Robusta are not the only two species existing, but two out of 70. Each species diversifies in different varieties, and each variety’s aspect can vary significantly regarding: - the aspect of the plant - the quantities of coffee produced - the shape, size and aromas of the fruit To get the whole picture it is interesting to know that, within the single species Arabica, exist some varieties (modern hybrids) that can produce up to 4,000 kg coffee per hectare, whilst the old varieties struggle to even produce 200 kg per hectare. The most important one amongst the abandoned coffee species is Liberica. It produces only little, and the fruits, big and solid, have to be hand-harvested, as of today no machine is sufficiently adapted to do so.
Our coffee
Nova Moca On the Nova Moca plantation, half way up the highest mountain of the island of São Tomé, Lat 0° 16’ 57” N - Long 6° 37’ 58” E, we cultivate with care and attention, on terraces protected by dry stone walls, some of the rarest and most exquisite varieties of Arabica and Robusta coffee.
São Tomé, Nova Moca plantation
The perfectly ripe fruits are hand harvested, one by one, and transformed by a completely natural method that we studied and perfected to enhance the aromas of each species and variety.
São Tomé, Nova Moca plantation, drying coffee beans
Prín
ncipe, Terreiro Velho plantation
PrĂncipe, Terreiro Velho plantation, peeling of the Liberica coffee
Terreiro Velho Island of Príncipe, Terreiro Velho plantation, Lat 1° 36’ 00” N - Long 7° 25’ 00” E. On hills facing the seaside, protected by the shade of ancient trees alternating with cocoa trees, benefitting from the sea breezes that regulate the elevated equatorial humidity, grows our coffee Liberica. The hard and difficult work of peeling the coffee cherries manually is largely compensated by the fruity, full, fresh and unexpected aromas that its roasted beans give us.
To illustrate in practice what we have just described, we would like to propose you for tasting the following 3 Loucuras de café GRANI CAT, BB e NM, W & N Café Selecção Liberica-napolitaines Single-varietal green coffee
3 Loucuras de café To showcase how incredibly different the aromas of three old varieties of the same species can be – cultivated side by side on the same terroir, transformed by the same hands in an identical manner (Washed) – Claudio invites you to experiment 3 Loucuras de café. The beans of these three varieties of Arabica are simply roasted and covered by 55%-chocolate. Displayed in one single box containing three small packets, each variety is presented separately.
3 Loucuras de café
Assessment and tasting order The roasted beans of these three varieties are presented separately, covered by the same 55%-chocolate. To fully appreciate each variety, it is best to crunch the beans. To differentiate them, we kept the letters that we use while working on the plantation: 1 CAT (Caturra), 2 BB (Bourbon), and 3 NM (Novo Mundo). 1 CAT, of the three, this one is the most productive. For this reason it is often selected amongst the modern hybrids. The perfume of the coffee literally bursts on the first bite, taking your senses by storm‌ but vanishes as quickly as it came, leaving only the aromas of the chocolate. 2 BB, gives the exact opposite sensations of CAT. It is the chocolate that dominates first, but little by little the fragrant and delicate aromas of the coffee break through, transcending completely the taste of the chocolate. The persistence of this coffee, notwithstanding for how long we already work with it, still continues to surprise us. 3 NM, probably the most fulfilled of the three, it not only has the body, structure and persistence of an ideal blend, but its perfumes and power also perfectly combine with those of the chocolate, creating an extraordinary balance.
GRANI CAT, BB, and NM,
W & N
The best way to discover how the transformation process impacts the coffee’s flavours.
Washed
&
Natural
Roasted Arabica coffee beans covered with 55%-chocolate. There is a lot of talk about coffee varieties or about terroir, but it is almost never explained how a coffee was made. It is a shame because it’s manufacturing has a significant impact on its flavours. In order to understand and be able to interpret the different aromas that can be found in a coffee it is essential to have a clear idea of how it was handled between the time of harvest and the moment of roasting. Indeed, it is in this period of time that aromas, flavours, perfumes or defects develop. To transform a hardly-harvested coffee into a coffee ready for roasting (commercial coffee), there is a choice between two different methods: dry or natural (N), and wet or washed (W). Depending on the method chosen, the same coffee will show very different characteristics. With the “GRANI” series, Claudio offers the possibility to compare how the different types of manufacturing impact on the same variety of coffee. In comparison are the three varieties of Arabica that Claudio grows on the Nova Moca plantation: Caturra (CAT), Bourbon (BB) and Novo Mundo (NM), each worked in two different ways, (W) and (N). Each box contains two bags of one single coffee variety, covered with the same 55%-chocolate, and the method of manufacturing, (W) or (N), is indicated on each bag.
Café Selecção A balanced blend of the coffee varieties presented for 3 Loucuras gave birth to our Seleção Nova Moca. A unique coffee, combining the characteristics of each single variety to create full, round flavours, without any hint of bitterness, and a long, soft, surprising finish.
43
Liberica -napolitaines To discover the soft, pure and delicately fruity aroma of the Liberica coffee, we recommend it simply roasted and ground, blended into small hand-cut bars of 70%-chocolate, containing each 4.5% coffee.
Single-varietal green coffee
CAT - W,
Caturra Washed
BB - W,
Bourbon Washed
NM - W,
Novo Mundo Washed
Liberica – W Washed
To allow you to roast the beans whenever and however you like, all our coffees are also available individually as raw. Only very small quantities are produced, therefore we kindly ask those who are interested to book them directly here: info@claudiocoralloshop.com
Stores SÃO TOMÉ AND PRÍNCIPE Avenida Marginal 12 de Julho, n.o 978 +239 222 22 36 www.claudiocorallo.com USA Alegio Chocolate 522 Bryant Street – PALO ALTO, CA 94301 +001 650 324-4500 Alegio Chocolate 1511 Shattuck Ave – BERKELEY, CA 94709 +001 510 548-2466 www.alegio.com
Distribution ITALY Velier S.p.A Villa Paradisetto, Via G. Byron 14 – 16145 Genova Italy +39 0103108611 www.velier.it FRANCE L'arbre à café 10 Rue du Nil, 75002 Paris +33 01 84 17 24 17 www.larbreacafe.com GERMANY Wilk Gourmetgroup Gutenbergstraße 29, 37671 Höxter +49 5271 9785-0 www.wilk-gourmetgroup.de CZECH REPUBLIC Via del vino s.r.o. Kubelíkova 1189/29 - 130 00 Prague 3 Mobile: +420 774 963 115 Land line: +420 222 942 001 www.viadelvino.cz