While I was in Brazil this past August my girlfriend, Gina, and I were lucky enough to visit a small espresso/tobacco bar called Boca de Pito. Although we both had an amazing time, Gina was so fascinated by the shop that she wanted to share her experience with you all. So, without further ado, please enjoy the following entry, authored by Gina Hunter:
Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world and 50% of this coffee is produced in the state of Minas Gerais. . One might expect therefore that cafes and restaurants in Belo Horizonte (BH), the state capital , have long perfected the art of serving the perfect cup of coffee. This is not the case, according to Geraldo Magela Neme, owner of the Boca de Pito Cafe (www.bocadepito.com.br) in the mineiro capital. On August 13, Joe and I visited with Geraldo in his charming coffee and tobacco shop in the upscale Savassi neighborhood of Belo Horizonte. Geraldo was the very first to offer expresso in BH some 30 years ago. Brazilians are the first to praise and to critcize themselves, Geraldo said unequivocally that while some regions of Minas produce the best coffee in the world, "most Brazilians just don't know good coffee."
Brazil is the home of the cafezinho, or "little coffee.". It is a harsh, heavy-bodied drink that is served in a 3 oz. cup, with lots of sugar to ease the bite. It is traditionally made by dissolving sugar in near-boiling water, then after removing the water from the heat, adding finely ground espresso and stirring vigorously. When the espresso and sugar-water are properly infused, the mix is strained through a cloth filterand served in small cups. At Boca de Pito, however, Geraldo brews his cafezinho slightly differently. He puts finely ground espresso (usually a blend) into a cloth filter placed over a large urn and he passes the near-boiling water through the filter, letting the coffee infuse as the water passes through. After the first infusion, the urn is emptied and the liquid is passed through the filter and coffee grind for a second infusion. The cafezinho is very dry (characteristic of Brazilian coffees) and the heavy body really brings out all of the earth tones. It is definitely an intense beverage, and is by far the most popular coffee drink in Brazil.
The drink is so popular that when Geraldo introduced the espresso machine to Belo Horizonte thirty years ago, it sat most of the day unused while his customers continued to drink the traditional cafezinho. Although one can enjoy good coffee throughout the country, and espresso drinkers and espresso bars have increased dramatically over the years, the cafezinho remains ubiquitous. Brazilians drink their coffee throughout the day, usually after meals or at break-time with a quick smokeGeraldo's shop takes its name, Boca de Pito (mouth of smoke), from the custom of coating the mouth with a heavy-bodied brew that highlights the characteristics of both the coffee and the tobacco.
Although the popular drink for the belohorizontinos (as the city's residents are called) is the cafezinho, Geraldo himself is a lover of espresso. Known by his friends as "Geraldinho" the owner of Boca de Pito is an encyclopedia of coffee knowledge. For Geraldo, and many coffee connoisseurs would agree, a good cup of coffee depends on many elements such as the quality of the coffee, type of roast, the grind, and the purity of the water. Geraldo claims to be the first barista in Belo Horizonte to install a water filtration system to extract the cholrine and neutalize the pH of his tap water. Geraldo buys high quality coffee from the Sul de Minas region and roasts it himself.
Joe and I tried Geraldo´s cafezinho and espresso and had to agree that while the cafezinho was good, it paled in comparison to his espresso with its sweet smoky crema, smooth caramel middle, and nice herbal finish. Boca de Pito is definitely a must-stop hot-spot for anyone traveling to Belo Horizonte. As Geraldo says "coming to Belo without coming to Boca de Pito is like going to Rome without seeing the Pope."
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