One of the nice things about a coffee subscription like My Coffee Pub* is that a bag of coffee magically arrives every month and you don’t know what you’re going to get until you get it. That probably freaks some people out, but it’s a good way to try roasters and origins you may never otherwise pick, and that’s the best way to expand your tastes. If all I ever drank was Ethiopian naturals I’d be happy, but I’d also be missing out on a lot of other good coffees! This month’s My Coffee Pub subscription is Pearland Coffee Roasters’ Brazil Sitio Da Serra. You can subscribe now and receive this coffee or buy it by the bag from My Coffee Pub or directly from Pearland.
Pearland Coffee Roasters are a roaster and cafe located south of Houston in Pearland, Texas. I’ve been to Houston a few times and it’s not well-known for a thriving coffee scene, at least out toward Pasadena where I’ve had to go for business, so it’s nice to know Pearland is in the area! As an added bonus their cafe is located next door to a BBQ joint, so plan for a late morning visit for a couple cups of coffee and then chase it with a nice, light meal of Texas-style BBQ!
This is my first exposure to Pearland’s coffee and I found this Sitio Da Serra to be straightforward and simple, as is often the case with Brazilian coffee. Brazil is an interesting origin country in that it is the largest producer of Arabica coffee (and produces a healthy amount of Robusta, too) in the world, yet it has challenges that make its coffee, as a whole, less interesting than other origins.
The altitude is relatively low, the soil quality tends to be poor and most Brazilian coffee is grown out in open fields that get full sun all day long. Brazilian coffee beans are relatively soft and they have it easy compared to beans that grow in more challenging environments. When it comes to coffee, big temperature ranges and high altitudes make for interesting flavor profiles. All that being said, Brazilian coffee is popular and is often a crowd-pleaser, especially in the USA. It tends toward lots of nots and a cocoa/milk chocolate flavor profile and it has low perceived acidity. Brazilian coffee finds its way into lots of blends and is probably the base of a LOT of grocery store level coffee from instant through the more boutique brands.
Considering all of this, I tend to shy away from Brazilian coffees as a rule just because I know they probably will never be as interesting as a Kenyan or Ethiopian coffee, as full and sweet as a Sumatran, or as bright and interesting as some of the Colombian microlots I’ve had this year. So, it’s nice to be “forced” into an origin I usually don’t drink by My Coffee Pub’s subscription!
Pearland did a good job roasting this coffee. True to form it wasn’t exciting or surprising in any way, but it was a good, enjoyable cup and I think a coffee like this is something pretty much any coffee drinker can enjoy. There’s not much to say about the aroma. It was sweet with a little undertone of nuttiness. Body on this coffee was medium and smooth and the aftertaste fell off quickly. Even as the coffee cooled there was little acidity in this cup for me, which would appeal to people who don’t enjoy fruity coffees as much. The flavor consists of cocoa/milk chocolate and lots of nuts. For some reason hazelnut came to mind first, so there must be a touch of hazelnut character in this Sitio Da Serra, but do not expect this to taste like a hazelnut flavored coffee! LOL
Overall as a pourover this is a soft, delicate, straightforward cup of coffee. It’s not going to knock your socks off in any way, but I’ve said it many times before… sometimes a simple coffee is nice when you just want a cup of coffee and you don’t want to be challenged or have to think about it too much. I found no flaws in this cup and if a nutty, low-acid cup of joe is what you are craving, I think this would be a great choice!
I also tried this coffee as a Moka pot with a new recipe and it was pretty good. Had a bit more “bite” to it and, honestly, in 10+ years of on/off using a Moka pot, this was the first coffee I’ve had in one that didn’t taste like “Moka pot.” More on that later this week…
*In the spirit of full disclosure, I have a gratis My Coffee Pub subscription as they send me coffee for reviews and opinions.