Coffee shops in Maceió combine gourmet coffee with local cuisine – 01/10/2024 – Café na Prensa

One of Brazil’s main summer destinations, Maceió experiences a proliferation of cafés that mix influences from Alagoas cuisine with coffees from different origins in Brazil.

Until a few years ago, it was difficult to find places that served specialty coffees in the capital of Alagoas. With few local consumers and tourists only looking for seafood, opening a specialty café was seen as a project doomed to failure.

Since the pandemic, however, the scenario has changed rapidly. Several establishments have recently opened and a few more are expected to open soon.

Not only coffee shops, but also bakeries and restaurants have devoted more attention to coffee. Those traditional drinks from large industries leave the scene and special grains made by independent roasters enter.

Part of this story is due to RDV Roasters. The roasting company, founded by three friends, buys beans from several producing regions in Brazil and is today the main supplier of quality coffee in Maceió.

Furthermore, RDV works as a barista school — with courses all based on the methodology of the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association), the main entity in the sector in the world. Therefore, in addition to roasting the beans for the establishments, the company also trains the staff at these coffee shops.

Thus, Maceió’s coffee scene took a leap forward. In addition to having carefully roasted beans, the coffee shops have very well-trained baristas capable of extracting drinks using different methods with all the technique involved in these preparations.

One of these cases is Lê Croá, which opened its doors in 2023. In addition to the well-crafted viennoiserie by São Paulo baker Danilo Motobu, the house specializing in croissants serves well-extracted espressos and creamy cappuccinos.

Le Brulé has a special coffee blend developed exclusively for the house by RDV and proposes pairings with sweets created by pastry chef Sandy Farias. Many of the preparations have a northeastern touch, such as the plum cake (wedding cake), the Brazilian cake (a type of sweet cookie that contains coconut and has a soft crumb) and the kingdom cheese croissant.

Passionate about coffee, Sandy says that she previously needed to buy roasted beans in other states. To make shipping possible, it was brought in large batches. Thus, she often prepared coffees that had been roasted for months.

With the emergence of RDV, you can now have beans roasted and delivered weekly, which guarantees always fresh coffee.

Although Alagoas roasting has played an important role in the growth of the specialty coffee scene in Maceió, today there are many coffee shops serving specialty beans from various roasters in Brazil.

The Marina Coffee Shop, for example, serves coffees roasted by companies such as the renowned Sabino, from São Paulo. In addition, it frequently holds workshops and tastings.

Yume Cakes has a similar proposal, which has a menu with coffees from various regions and roasters. To accompany, the cakes are the house’s flagships, but the grilled bread with cottage cheese and black cheese pairs best with coffees with softer and sweeter sensory notes.

And everything indicates that the market should continue to grow in the capital of Alagoas. Henrique Dias, partner at RDV, says that the company is working on consultancy for five coffee shops that should open soon in Maceió.

Now, in addition to the great seafood, tourists also have good coffee to accompany their afternoon snack.

Check out some places to have good coffee in Maceió below.

RDV Roasters

Roasting and barista school, the company was created with the aim of supplying coffees of different origins to cafes and establishments. Today, in addition to supplying locations in Maceió and Recife, RDV has a model cafeteria, where they serve drinks in different methods, as well as some food options, such as homemade cheese breads.

TV. Alfredo Oiticica, 67 – Cruz das Almas, Maceió. @rdv.roasters

Lê Croá Café and Viennoiserie

Newly opened house specializing in croissants and specialty coffees. In addition to the viennoiserie made with care by São Paulo baker Danilo Motobu, well-trained baristas extract coffees roasted by RDV. There are filters on the Hario V60, espressos and cappuccinos.

Av. Álvaro Otacílio, 3567 – Ponta Verde, Maceió. @lecroaoficial

Marina Coffee Shop

Focused on specialty coffees, it serves the drink in various methods and works with beans from different Brazilian roasters. Occasionally, it organizes workshops and sensory experiences.

R. Jangadeiros Alagoanos, 1023A – Pajuçara, Maceió. @marinacoffee.shop

Le Brulé

Sweet shop that combines special coffee roasted exclusively by RDV with sweets and savory treats created by pastry chef Sandy Farias. To harmonize with filtered drinks or well-calibrated espressos, there are options with northeastern touches, such as plum cake (wedding cake), Brazilian cake (a type of sweet biscuit that contains coconut and has a soft crumb) and kingdom cheese croissant.

R. Gen. João Saleiro Pitão, 1037 – Ponta Verde, Maceió. @lebrulecafeteria

Yume Cakes

The cakes, which are the house’s specialty, are served in different combinations of fillings and toppings. But, to accompany the special coffees extracted using methods such as Kalita, V60 and Clever, the grilled bread with curd and black cheese is a great option.

Av. Luiz Ramalho de Castro, 525 – Jatiúca, Maceió. @yume.cakes

Cil Nogueira Gastronomy

Granddaughter of one of the Rocha sisters, legendary cooks from Alagoas, Cil serves several food options to accompany the coffees roasted by RDV. One of the most interesting services is the one extracted at Clever over a jar with lemon and Bahia orange. The perfect accompaniment is the classic party pastel, a recipe from the Rocha sisters with a meat filling and sprinkled with sugar.

R. Commerce. José Pontes de Magalhães, 222 – Jatiúca, Maceió. @cilnogueiragastronomia

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