Norte Pioneiro

What it is

The northern edge of Paraná, sitting on the Tropic of Capricorn between 400 and 900 m — the southern limit of coffee growing in Brazil.

What it's known for

Careful work at small scale. It has held a registered Indicação Geográfica since 2012, and the lots are picked and sorted by hand: sweet, mildly citric, chocolate and caramel with a soft finish.

The character of the place

Norte Pioneiro means the pioneer north, and the name is literal — the frontier opened in the 1930s and coffee built the towns. The black frost of 1975 wiped out most of Paraná's crop and sent growers north for good; those who stayed replanted on the warmer slopes, and their grandchildren are farming them now.

Cup attributes

Acidity	pleasant mild citric
Aroma	chocolate, caramel, citrus and floral
Body	intense, full
Flavour	intense sweetness across chocolate, caramel, citrus
Finish	soft and marked
Varieties	Mundo Novo, Catuaí