The Espírito Santo region in Brazil is another clear exception that completely shatters the belief that Brazil only produces boring coffees with labels like 'nutty' or 'chocolate'. To prove it, we didn't hesitate to continue our journey through this vast country to discover this region. We traveled from São Paulo to Vitória, where we had an appointment with Rafael, manager of a small, young company focused on supporting producers in Espírito Santo. This area is probably one of the forgotten regions of the country due to the mistaken belief that absolutely nothing happens or is produced here. This disdain strikes us as quite curious, since for us it has been one of the most unusual and exciting regions we have visited in recent years.

Traditionally, coffee in Brazil is processed using the dry or natural method in low-altitude regions, as the main production takes place in the highlands. Personally, we had never stopped believing in the existence of the 'white elephant' coffee, although we never imagined we could find coffees with profiles characteristic of the Horn of Africa in Brazil: complex, with a prominent acidity, and extravagant and delicious tropical fruit notes. Of course, we also didn't imagine that this coffee would be produced below 1,000 meters above sea level, and we didn't expect the Catuaí variety to be the one occupying this privileged position.

That's when all our stereotypes and rules crumbled. We could simply fall silent and contemplate that marvelous landscape, surrounded by mountains, as if it were Colombia. Its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean creates a very distinctive climate, resulting in a drastic temperature difference between day and night. Furthermore, most producers are small and medium-sized, as is common in Central America and Colombia, demonstrating a respect for forest preservation that is uncommon in a country where the Amazon basin and other areas are highly threatened by intensive and aggressive agriculture.

That said, let's focus on the coffee and the profiles we found, where the tropical fruit notes speak for themselves. Clean and complex, these lots are marked by their semi-washed, or perhaps almost washed, process—something exceptional in Brazil. During our visit, we were captivated by Joselino, who represents a lineage of producers whose imagination, dedication, and respect for nature left us speechless. Joselino has more than one hectare of coffee and over five hectares of forest. He explains that the forest protects his coffee plantation because pests target other tree species before the coffee plants. His dry and wet processing facility was built by him and his son with the precision of an engineer, and they also apply their own inventions to every process. In our opinion, nothing is more closely associated with the "Right Side" of the brain than this attitude of bringing creativity to bear when resources are scarce.

This selection of coffees from Espírito Santo has been produced and roasted to shatter the stereotype surrounding Brazilian coffee. We love working with these exceptional coffees, which for us are miracles to be appreciated and, above all, enjoyed.