Cane Sugar, Praline, Sultana
A naturally processed Brazilian from the Cerrado region, grown by the Urban family, Rio Brilhante has the kind of full, generous body that feels immediately comfortable. Cane sugar, praline and sultana - sweet without being cloying, rich without being heavy. It works well across a wide range of brew methods and is just as happy pulled as an espresso as it is in a long filter.
Sweet, fruit-forward Brazilian with body
Rio Brilhante is a natural processed Brazilian from the Cerrado region, grown by Inacio Carlos Urban and his sons on Fazenda Rio Brilhante - a farm named after the crystalline waters of the Guarani Aquifer that feed its soil. At 950 to 1,085 metres, the Bourbon and Catuai varieties ripen slowly, and the natural process lets the fruit do its work: the result is a full-bodied cup with cane sugar sweetness, soft praline richness and a sultana-like dried fruit quality that lingers warmly.
With an SCA score of 84.5, this sits comfortably in specialty territory without making a fuss about it. It works across almost any method - pull it as an espresso for something sweet and rounded, or brew it long for a fuller, more contemplative cup.
The Urban family has been quietly refining their approach through soil analysis and careful pruning, while also trialling newer varieties alongside the classics. That kind of steady, considered work tends to show in the cup, and it does here. This is a coffee that delivers the same satisfying result every time you reach for it - which, on a bleary Tuesday morning, is exactly what you want.
About the Roaster
Wogan Coffee has been part of Bristol's fabric for over fifty years, now run across three generations with one branch in Bristol and another in London. As a wholly independent family company, they've spent decades learning not just how to roast well, but how to do it responsibly - paying the living wage, running solar-powered roasteries, and delivering locally by cargo bike.
