Minas Gerais is Brazil’s largest producer of both coffee and milk, and its fields, just a few hours by car from São Paulo, offer intensely green, mountainous landscapes.
Much of this countryside, especially near the small towns, is planted with coffee—quite possibly some of the world’s finest beans. Many of these plantations coexist with livestock farms, adding a quintessentially charming touch: simple houses with tiled roofs and the unassuming kindness of their inhabitants.
Coffee, Rural Life and the People Who Live It
Afonso is a man of the land, though he moved with his family to town decades ago after a serious work accident. Still, he never lost the habit of strolling on foot every morning, before sunrise, down the cobblestone streets of Heliodora (population: 6,000), which quickly give way to rugged red dirt trails winding into the countryside.
At 78, he has gathered many friends, several of whom live in the roça (as Brazilians call the outskirts), where the bustle of modern life fades away and traditions run deep.
Every day, Afonso visits these friends to catch up and lend a hand with whatever tasks are at hand, out of friendship and to stay connected to his truest self.
São Paulo Coffee Tour: Farm, Culture & Lunch Included
A Journey Through the Fields of Minas Gerais
On a family visit one December Tuesday at dawn, we set out together with flashlights to ensure no snake—however small and harmless—would startle us from the roadside brush.
The half-hour trek, featuring gentle climbs and descents, ended at Zé’s field: Afonso’s cousin-in-law, though it could have been any neighbor’s plot in the area.
Zé, younger but equally adept at farm life, manages a small family plantation. He led us through rows of coffee plants nearly 10 feet tall, heavy with tiny, firm cherries—some green, others ripening.
Soon enough, those cherries would reveal their true selves as beans, destined through processing for a steaming cup halfway around the world, carrying the echo of the very fields where they grew.
And There It Was: a Cup of Brazilian Coffee
Photo by Javier Di Napoli
Generously sharing his expertise, Zé soon returned to his barn to fill a jar with beans he had roasted the night before. Then he moved to a small hand grinder—an antique yet perfectly serviceable apparatus for a daily breakfast.
The resulting fine grounds, after filtration, would combine with water that Valdirene and Beatriz (the women of the house) had heated during our walk—yielding an export-quality black coffee, but for now enjoyed just meters from the plantation that brought it to life.
A Traditional Brazilian Coffee Experience
The first sip unleashed a subtle ballet of textures and flavors across the palate: enveloping, sophisticated notes best savored before any family member adds sugar to the pot. Mineiros prefer it much sweeter than outsiders might expect.
By now, we’d sampled two coffee preparations, but the experience wasn’t complete until we reached a neighboring farm.
After our cups were emptied—and a thermos filled with robust, freshly brewed coffee—we pressed on for another mile to Rodolfo’s property, another longtime friend of Afonso’s, built on mutual affection and trust.
A barking dog announced our arrival, but no one was surprised—the visit and its purpose had been arranged in advance: enter the milking parlor, milk a cow, and pour the purest latte straight from udder to cup.
Read More: Laid-Back Lombok: Coconut, Coffee and Coral Reefs
The World’s Freshest Latte: A Risk Worth Taking
Nutritionists may frown, warning of high-fat content. Food safety experts will note that raw milk can carry bacteria levels above recommended limits, especially for children or vulnerable groups.
No one here pretends otherwise: those accustomed to this land’s traditions tolerate the world’s freshest latte better than most. Still, the chance to taste its frothy authenticity is worth the risk.
By this point, the sun was climbing and the mountainous climate—more forgiving than Brazil’s coast—was still warm.
Some layers of clothing were already shed, and it was time to head back to town, where Afonso’s wife, Dona Lourdinha, awaited with midday aromas: garlic and onion sizzling, linguiça being chopped, and rice and feijão simmering.
Simplicity and Connection: The Real Flavor of Brazil
But the taste lingers: of dark, fragrant coffee brewed where it was grown; of natural milk accompanied by the soft lowing of nearby cows; of a latte unfiltered by modern life, served not by branded-barista hands but by kind, weathered hands in an old jar.
A simple pleasure shared in the roça’s quiet—and perhaps that is what makes it extraordinary: the world’s freshest latte, savored where the land still speaks first, and loudest.
If You Go
Photo by Javier Di Napoli.
Brazil’s premier coffee region also offers visitors mountain vistas, natural waterfalls, cheese and cachaça factories, cultural routes and even coffee estates with hotels equipped for tourism.
It lies within reach of emblematic cities such as São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro—common gateways for international travelers overland to Belo Horizonte, Brasília, or Manaus. Also, to the historic “Gold Route,” or to natural gems like the Pantanal, Chapada dos Guimarães, Chapada dos Veadeiros or Serra da Canastra.
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Author Bio: Javier Di Napoli is a journalist, writer, and editor with 20 years of experience telling stories in the media world. He’s also a passionate traveler who’s explored dozens of countries across four continents—and he’s always looking for the next destination. Wherever he goes, he brings curiosity, a love for culture, and a knack for turning experiences into stories worth sharing.
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