88	Mr. Espresso Oakland, California Fazenda Vargem Grande Roast: Medium Review Date: May 2002 Origin: Mogiana region, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. Price: NA

Blind Assessment: An exquisitely delicate coffee. Meltingly sweet and cocoa-toned in the nose, in the cup gently acidy and crisply fruity with cocoa and pear notes. The finish is pleasingly chocolate-toned, but slightly astringent.

Notes: From the Contini family farm, Fazenda Vargem Grande, at the base of the Mantiqueira Mountain Range, in the classic Brazilian growing region of Mogiana, this coffee is a pulped natural or semi-dry-processed coffee, meaning the skin was removed from the fruit but the fruit pulp was allowed to remain clinging to the beans during drying. The pulped natural method generally produces a low-key but gently bright, often fruity cup. As a green coffee, a 2001 Brazil Cup of Excellence competition winner. Mr. Espresso is a San Francisco Bay area wholesale roaster that slow roasts its coffees using traditional oak-fired roasting machines. Visit www.mrespresso.com or call 510-287-5200 for more info.

Who Should Drink It: This delicately brisk cup with its high-toned complexity should please those who enjoy light but dryly authoritative beverages.

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