BRASIL PASSEIO | April 2025

Bean of the Month | BRAZIL PASSEIO MONTE BELO

In July 2024, our COO David Holt traveled to Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, to experience its thriving coffee industry firsthand. Over 10 days and 2,000 kilometers, he visited farms ranging from large cooperatives to small family-run plantations, meeting the passionate producers behind every cup.
 
One highlight of the trip was a cupping session with World Cup Tasting Champion Dionatan Almeida, where David sampled over 200 microlots. After careful selection, he chose our current Bean of the Month Passeio Monte Belo—a standout coffee from Adolfo Henrique Vieira Ferreira’s farm in southern Brazil.
 
David’s journey also reinforced Merlo’s commitment to educating coffee lovers about the entire crop-to-cup process. He saw firsthand the challenges farmers face, including climate change impacts like frost and drought, which threaten yields and quality. By sharing these insights, we hope to deepen your appreciation for the incredible work behind every bean.
 
You can read more about David's trip here on the blog.

COFFEE ORIGIN PROFILE

Country: Brazil
Producer: Adolfo Henrique Vieira Ferreira
Farm: Fazenda Passeio
Region: South Minas Gerais
Town: Monte Belo
Varietals: Yellow Catuai, Mundo Novo, Acaia
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1250m above sea level.

The Passeio Fazenda has been producing coffee for over 110 years, under the stewardship of the Vieira Ferreira family for three generations. The hills of the property are thick with coffee trees, a mix of Catuai, Mundo Nova, Acacia, and Icatu varietals. The steep terrain is impassable to commercial coffee harvesters, so each cherry is picked by hand.

This personal touch is combined with the latest in technology after harvest, the solar-powered on-site laboratory analysing everything from the soil to the sugar content of ripening cherries.

Adolfo Henrique Vieira Ferreira, the family patriarch, is deeply committed to advancing Brazilian coffee. He served as president of the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association from 2015 to 2017. His wife, Edilene de Souza, is equally passionate, contributing to Donas do Café, a leadership program empowering women in coffee.

TASTING NOTES & CUPPING PROFILE

The first note of the fragrance of Brazil Passeio takes us all up into the hillsides of Minas Gerais: coffee blossom. Classic Brazilian aromatics of roasted nuts are next in the brewing process, hazelnut and peanut. Flavours of milk chocolate, honey, brown sugar and molasses combine to create an overall impression of rich, warm, sweetness.

The acidity is very subtle, just enough to add a freshness to the buttery body. Roasted nuts come through again in the aftertaste, a sweet praline finish to the chocolate confection that is Brazil Passeio.

Aromas: coffee blossom, hazelnut, peanut
Flavours: milk chocolate, honey, brown sugar, molasses
Acidity: subtle lime
Body: buttery