When we first tasted this coffee, we knew that it was special. This delicate coffee reminds me of sitting outside on summer afternoon, with the scent of my Texas childhood all around. The lightly fruity notes of Apricot, Pomegranate are subtly followed by floral notes of Jasmine and Peony. It's all finished off with a taste of wild honey. The tea-like body is soft and silky, and perfect for an iced pourover.
The experience of drinking this coffee reminded me of a work that has been iconic in my life: In Search of our Mother's Gardens: Womanist Prose by Alice Walker. In this text, Madame Walker gives us the very definition of womanist that serves as the foundation for many Black womens' work in this world. In this spirit of communal love and the hope of communal liberation, we offer this coffee as a reminder that our work of love, remembering, tending, and world-building continues.
Get ready. This is about to be your favorite summer coffee!
I was elated to work with Phyllis Johnson of BD Imports again. I'm thankful to Phyllis and her daughter, Maya, for sharing this information on the Producer and Origin of Our Mother's Gardens:
Margarida Rosa Cândido Vilela, daughter of Maria José Cândido and Valdeci Cândido, is married to Joel Elio Vilela. In 2012, they bought a new property, Sítio Vista Alegre in Santo Antônio do Amparo, Campo das Vertentes region, and started planting 8,000 coffee trees. Currently, there are 10,400 coffee trees planted in an area, and their property certified by Certifica Minas. Their coffees achieve high scores, highlighting flavors such as fruity, honey, and sugar cane.
The Campo das Vertentes region is one of 15 geographic zones of the State of Minas Gerais in Brazil. It is in the center of the southern part of the state, occupying an area of 19,896 square kilometers (7,682 square miles). Geographically, the Campo das Vertentes region represents 3.4% of the total state of Minas Gerais. The Mountainous region has varying altitudes that range from 500 to 1000 meters above sea level. The climate is mild, with cool, rainy summers and very cold winters in the higher regions. The land is irrigated by several streams with the many waterfalls. The mineral resources of the soil are plentiful, due to the geographic constitution of this part of Minas Gerais. Coffee farms are known to have been in existence in the since around the 1860s. Most of the planting, however, was done on a small scale for self-consumption.
Our Mother's Gardens will begin shipping on June 1.