You can never have too much chocolate! Choco Loco from Amsterdam-based DAK Coffee Roasters brings a sweet Brazilian profile to your espresso, blending delicate nougat, milk chocolate, and the juicy sweetness of raisins. The result is a pleasantly rounded cup with a fuller body, pronounced sweetness, and a subtle fruity note. No wild flavor experiments here, just a beautifully balanced combination reminiscent of chocolate pralines. This Brazilian coffee is sure to delight anyone who expects a sweet, chocolatey character from their espresso.
Behind this coffee is Edir José de Carvalho and his family, who run the small Sítio Portella farm in the Caldas region of Sul de Minas. Edir began growing coffee in 1994 together with his wife Marluce, and today their son Thalles also helps them. The farm is located at an elevation of 1 ,260 meters above sea level, and the coffee trees cover just three hectares. In addition to coffee, the family also grows vegetables, which they sell at local markets. The quality of their production is evidenced by their 8th-place finish in the 2018 Cup of Excellence competition.
Choco Loco is made from the Catucaí variety, a hybrid of the Catuaí and Icatu varieties. It is processed using the natural method, in which the harvested and sorted coffee cherries are dried whole—that is, with the skin and pulp intact. On the farm, they are spread out on concrete terraces, where they dry for approximately 15 to 20 days. During drying, they are turned regularly and their moisture content is monitored. This traditional process helps preserve the natural sweetness and develop the pleasantly full-bodied, chocolatey character of the resulting espresso.
- Farmers: Edir José & Marluce de Carvalho
- Farm: Sítio Portella
- Elevation: 1,260 m above sea level
- Soil type: volcanic