MY BRAZILIAN SUGAR CANE ODYSSEY

A journey through Brazil's interior reveals the artisanal producers keeping traditional cachaça production alive, from the cane fields to the copper stills. This odyssey takes us far from the tourist beaches into the heart of Brazil's spirits tradition.

The trip began in Minas Gerais, where small family distilleries have been producing cachaça for generations. Here, the connection between land and spirit is immediate and tangible. The red soil, the variety of sugarcane, the timing of harvest - everything matters.

Meeting the producers themselves reveals a deep commitment to quality and tradition. Many learned the craft from their parents and grandparents, maintaining techniques that pre-date modern industrial production. They speak of their cachaça with the same reverence that French vintners discuss their wines.

The production process remains remarkably hands-on at these small distilleries. Fresh-cut cane is crushed within hours of harvest, the juice ferments in large wooden vats using wild yeasts from the environment, and distillation occurs in gleaming copper pot stills that have served multiple generations.

Perhaps most revelatory is the aging process. Brazilian woods like amburana and balsam impart flavors entirely different from oak - notes of cinnamon, vanilla, and unique tropical spices that create cachaças unlike anything else in the spirits world. These producers aren't just making cachaça; they're preserving a cultural heritage.