Every time we visit any country, we make some time to try local coffee, the way locals enjoy it. Not just at airports and restaurants, but in local coffee shops, and occasionally at people's homes. And every time we are surprised by the variety of flavors and aromas that each culture enjoys in their coffee. On our last trip to Brazil, we visited one of the largest coffee producing regions in the world, Southern Minas Gerais. This is an awesome and beautiful region, lush with farms and patches of green all over the mountainsides. Well organized and maintained farms and roads are part of picturesque landscapes with a backdrop of beautiful blue skies.
Here in Minas Gerais, more specifically in Sul de Minas, we were treated with a typical pastry called Pão de Queijo (cheese bread). Locals eat this pastry on a daily basis both for breakfast and in the afternoon as a snack. Brazilians love to eat well, and both at the farm we visited and the offices we held meetings, they served us this great pastry.
Food is part of the culture here. And so your afternoon break comes along with Pão de Queijo, and of course, some coffee. To complement their cheese bread, locals drink a dark coffee with strong flavor and a robust finish. They truly complement each other. And while the coffee served is not the top quality arabica you would enjoy in a specialty shop, the coffee is more than good, with low acidity and a fruity aftertaste that defines the region.
Here at Cervantes we carry some of this coffee from Southern Minas. This coffee comes from a small farm located at 1,130 meters of altitude. Fazenda San Benedito, a small farm specialized in yellow bourbon coffee. We have roasted this coffee medium, to medium dark, and we feel it does best on a medium dark roast. This coffee is perfect if you like to feel strength in a cup, a slight touch of fruits. As in Brazil, we enjoy this coffee for an afternoon coffee break and even better when comes along with Pão de Queijo.
