Cerrado Mineiro

What it is

A high, flat savanna plateau across western Minas — the Alto Paranaíba, the Triângulo and the Noroeste. Between 800 and 1,300 m, with a wet summer and a reliably dry winter, so the trees flower together and the harvest comes in dry.

What it's known for

Consistency. It was the first Brazilian coffee origin to win a Denominação de Origem, and its clean, sweet naturals — caramel, nuts, dark chocolate — are what much of the world thinks of as the Brazilian cup.

The character of the place

The youngest of the traditional regions. Families moved north from Paraná and São Paulo after the black frost of 1975 and planted on land nobody wanted. Towns like Patrocínio and Monte Carmelo grew up around the crop, which is why the place feels engineered rather than inherited — agronomists, co-operatives and soil maps.

Cup attributes

Acidity	delicately citric
Aroma	intense — caramel through to nuts
Body	moderate to full
Flavour	sweet, dark chocolate
Finish	long
Varieties	Mundo Novo, Catuaí