One for those with a sweet tooth, this starts with a mix of milk chocolate and caramel for an indulgent start. An edge of almond and a sprinkle of sultanas on the finish wraps up this chocolate bar in a mug.
We've been buying from Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama for over 20 years, which tells you something. The farm has been in the Carvalho Dias family since 1890, sitting just north of the Minas Gerais border in São Paulo's Alta Mogiana region. The red volcanic soil, mountainous terrain, and range of microclimates between 1,100 and 1,300 metres have made Mogiana one of Brazil's most celebrated coffee regions since the 1800s. Cachoeira is a big part of the reason.
Everything here is done by hand. The steep topography rules out the mechanisation you commonly see on flatter Brazilian farms, so every cherry gets proper attention. That care, combined with a focus on Yellow and Red Bourbon varieties, has earned the farm multiple Cup of Excellence awards over the years.
Canario takes its name from its bright yellow cherries. Canário is Portuguese for canary, and the colour is the giveaway: it's a naturally occurring mutation within the Yellow Bourbon family, most common in Minas Gerais and São Paulo. It's not a high-yield commercial variety, which is part of why it appears as a named specialty lot rather than a commodity blend component. The cup reflects that: sweet and rounded, with stone fruit and citrus, a clean finish, and enough body to hold up whether you're brewing filter or pulling shots. Natural processing, as used here, amplifies the sweetness and brings more fruit forward.
Gabriel de Carvalho Dias, an agronomic engineer, leads the farm today. The 411-hectare property takes environmental and community responsibility seriously: native species planted alongside coffee crops to support biodiversity, a partnership with SOS Mata Atlântica, and on-site amenities for workers including a school, club, football field, and 47 homes with modern facilities.
Over a century of doing things properly. You can taste it.
- Country: Brazil
- State: São Paulo
- Region: Vale da Grama, Mogiana
- Nearest city: São Sebastião da Grama
- Farm: Cachoeira da Grama
- Producer: Gabriel de Carvalho Dias
- Altitude: 1,250 m.a.s.l.
- Farm size: 411.04 hectares
- Coffee growing area: 84.36 hectares
- Harvest months: May–September
- Annual production: 4,000 bags
- Processing: Natural
- Varietal: Canario
- Varieties grown: Yellow Bourbon, Red Bourbon, Yellow Catuaí, Red Catuaí, Yellow Catucaí, Canário, Mundo Novo, Arara
- Harvest methods: Manual, derriçadeiras, selective picking