Brazil Chapadão de Ferro: How to Brew This Single Origin
By Kiss the Hippo Coffee | London's Premier Specialty Coffee Roastery | Published: 2026-11-03
Category: คู่มือวิธีใช้
Learn how to brew Brazil Chapadão de Ferro to highlight its papaya, raspberry, and milk chocolate notes. Get grind size, ratio, and step-by-step guidance for filter brewing.
Quick answer
Brew Brazil Chapadão de Ferro as a filter coffee using a medium grind, a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio, and water just off the boil. This approach balances its fruity papaya and raspberry notes with the milk chocolate body, making it an easy-drinking single origin.
Why this Brazilian coffee rewards a gentle filter brew
Chapadão de Ferro is an anaerobic natural Red Catuai from Minas Gerais. The anaerobic natural process tends to produce a syrupy body and pronounced fruit character, which can become overwhelming in immersion brewers or with too fine a grind. Filter brewing, especially pour-over, gives you more control to extract the fruit without losing the chocolate sweetness.
Because this coffee is naturally low in acidity, you don’t need to push extraction to extremes. A moderate grind and a steady pour will highlight its papaya and raspberry notes while keeping the milk chocolate finish smooth. If you’re used to brewing bright African coffees, you may find you need less agitation and a slightly coarser grind to avoid bitterness.
Grind size and water: the key adjustments
For filter brewing, start with a medium grind—similar to table salt. If the brew tastes bitter or drying, coarsen the grind slightly; if it tastes weak or sour, go finer. Water should be fresh and filtered, heated to around 94–96°C (just off the boil). Using soft water will help the fruit notes shine without muting the chocolate.
Avoid using a blade grinder, which creates uneven particles and can lead to both bitterness and sourness in the same cup. A burr grinder set to medium will give you the consistency needed for this coffee’s nuanced profile.
Step-by-step brewing guide for Brazil Chapadão de Ferro
- Preheat and rinse: Rinse your filter with hot water and preheat your brewer and cup. Discard the rinse water. This removes papery tastes and keeps the brew temperature stable. A cold brewer can drop the temperature too fast, so don’t skip preheating.
- Weigh and grind: Weigh 15 g of coffee and grind to a medium setting, like table salt. Use a burr grinder for even particles. If you see many fines or boulders, adjust your grinder before changing other variables.
- Add coffee and level the bed: Place the ground coffee in the filter and gently shake to level the bed. This ensures even water flow. A uneven bed can cause channeling and uneven extraction.
- Bloom: Start your timer and pour 45 g of water at 94–96°C, just enough to saturate the grounds. Wait 30–45 seconds. You may see a small bubble dome—this is normal for a fresh coffee. If the bloom doesn’t bubble at all, your coffee may be older than ideal; still proceed but expect a flatter cup.
- First pour: At 0:45, pour in a slow spiral from the center outward, adding water up to 150 g. Keep the water level below the rim of the filter. Pouring too fast can cause the slurry to overflow or extract unevenly.
- Second pour: At 1:15, pour again in a spiral up to 250 g total. Allow the water to drain slightly between pours. Maintain a steady pour rate; rushing can lead to a muddy cup.
- Final pour and finish: At 1:45, pour the remaining water to reach 240 g total (for a 1:16 ratio). Give the brewer a gentle swirl to level the bed. The brew should finish draining by 2:30–3:00. If the brew finishes much faster than 2:30, your grind may be too coarse; if it stalls past 3:30, it’s too fine. Adjust next time.
Product facts
- Brazil, Chapadão de Ferro: Red Catuai cultivar, anaerobic natural process, 1100–1250 MASL. The anaerobic natural process contributes to the coffee’s syrupy body and fruit-forward notes, so a filter brew helps keep the cup balanced.
Brazil, Chapadão de Ferro
