Guia Cultural da Costa Verde

Paraty • Paraty-Mirim

CACHAÇA COQUEIRO

Cachaça blessed by Saint John

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Cachaça Coqueiro dates back to 1940 and is produced by the traditional Mello family, currently in its fifth generation as sugar-cane distillers. It is headed up by Eduardo Mello, who mastered the entire production secrets with his father and grandfather, including the tradition of harvesting the crop only after the feast of Saint John.

The still is located at Fazenda Cabral and right by the entrance there is a mill wheel – the great pride and joy of Eduardo – who explained the production process in detail; an entirely manual process from planting to bottling.

As with all quality cachaças, the raw material and method of fermenting, distilling and storage are essential for a satisfactory end result. This is especially true when production uses only the spirit’s most valuable portion known as the “core”, the second and best distilled part with 40% to 48% in alcohol volume. It discards the “head” (first part with 80% in alcohol volume) and the “tail” (third part containing 10% to 18% only in alcohol volume).

The Coqueiro distillery’s capacity with its copper stills is as much as 100,000 liters annually, yet average production only reaches 60,000 or 70,000 liters. After being distilled, the cachaça is ready for bottling, either pure or steeped in special ingredients such as for example fresh tangerine leaves that impart a slight flavor and a blue tinge. In the ageing process, the end product is stored in oak barrels (for as much as three years) or in amendoim bravo casks (for up to two years), during which time it acquires a special flavor and yellowish color. There is a great variety in the production and besides the traditional Silver, Gold and Bluish, there are lighter and flavored varieties such as cloves and cinnamon, banana, aromatic herbs and pineapple.

On the tour’s conclusion, the public is treated to a special tasting session, and most visitors purchase several bottles to take home or to give out as gifts. The cachaça is certified with a Geographic Indication seal by Inmetro and a Quality and Excellence seal from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Recently a more modern label and bottle design were created for the Coqueiro brand, already found in Facebook and on sale at the distillery’s retail outlet. The website is also undergoing changes, adopting technology without giving way to tradition, exactly in accordance with the production of this acknowledged cachaça.

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