Brazil Coffee

Much of the world's coffee is Brazilian coffee. Be it as a specialty coffee, as part of a balanced espresso blend, or as inexpensive whole bean coffees, Brazilian coffee can be found almost everywhere because a) Brazil is the world's largest producer, b) Brazilian coffee beans are versatile thanks to their mild flavor, and c) Brazilian coffee prices are fairly inexpensive.

Today, over half of Brazilian coffee farms are operated by families that own only 10 to 20 hectares. This surprises many people who believe that coffee production in that country mostly happens on a large scale with plenty of machinery involved.

Read on to learn more about the history of Brazilian coffee, what it tastes like, which roast level is best for it, what type of Brazilian coffee you can expect from different growing regions, and more.

Like all coffee-producing countries, Brazil's coffee history begins with a story that might or might not be factually correct. Unless we discover how to travel back in time, we'll never know for sure. Let's take a look at the timeline.

In 1727, a European man called Francisco de Melo Palheta supposedly planted the first coffee bush in Pará. Before he moved to Brazil, he worked in French Guiana as a diplomat and tried to get coffee seeds for Portugal. He had little success until he decided to play dirty and woo the governor's wife. It worked. She secretly gave him a bouquet with coffee seeds hidden inside.

It wasn’t until 1770 that the first proper coffee plantation was established (in Rio de Janeiro). 30 years later, Brazil exported 1,720 pounds of coffee. Twenty years later, this turned into an astonishing 12,896,000 pounds! 

By 1850, the country was the largest coffee producer in the world.

In 1888, the coffee industry in Brazil was hit hard because slavery was abolished. This great improvement in human rights led to a shortage of cheap/free labor on the market. There also was no improvement in actual work conditions, which is one of the reasons why few people wanted to work in this industry voluntarily. To put it mildly, the owners of coffee farms weren't particularly thrilled. 

The Brazilian government decided it was time to help the coffee industry two years later. It encouraged Europeans to come to Brazil to help produce Brazilian coffee. It took a while until the working conditions on coffee farms didn't resemble slave camps any longer.

By the 1920s, half of the world's coffee was produced in Brazil. 

In the 1970s, the coffee market in Brazil started to decline because other countries upped their coffee game, and robusta coffee became more popular. However, even then, most countries in the world didn't come close to taking the top spot in the world's production. It didn't take the market too long to recover.

Today, other producers in the world probably have no chance of ever being the number 1 unless they discover a secret. Working conditions in Brazil are much better today, and fair pay is also becoming more common on coffee farms. However, Brazil still has a long way to go in some aspects, with so-called "modern slavery" playing a big part as a problem.

Brazilian coffee is grown at comparably low altitudes on majorly non-volcanic soil (there are no active volcanoes in Brazil and only a handful of extinct ones). While this affects the taste and aroma, Brazil is a huge country with many coffee-growing regions, so it's impossible to name just one type of coffee flavor.

Still, you’ll often see Brazilian coffee described as nutty and chocolatey. But there is more to Brazilian coffees than just those two flavor notes.

Overall, Brazilian coffees are fairly mild with a mellow flavor, which is one of the reasons why you'll see many espresso blends with Brazilian coffee. It balances other beans' stronger aromas and can help create a more balanced drink. In addition, Brazilian coffee beans are fairly inexpensive, which makes them a good option to blend with more expensive beans.

Some Brazilian coffee-growing regions produce beans with a low acidity, fruity notes, and floral aromas. Others grow beans with more straightforward, nutty, or cocoa flavors. Later, we'll look at what coffee in Brazil from major coffee regions typically tastes like.

It's impossible to recommend just one roast level for Brazilian coffee. After all, the country is huge, and the coffee regions are so diverse that there are dozens of different coffee variants. One single origin shines when turned into a dark roast; another is nicer when roasted lightly. 

Brazilian coffees usually lend themselves to a medium or medium-dark roast. This is because Brazilian coffee is, on average, fairly mild, and a light roast might not bring out enough flavor, while a dark roasts can make the cup a little too bitter.

Many Brazilian coffees have nutty and chocolatey notes, best as a medium roast. Some Brazilian coffees, however, are floral and fruity, which is better as a light roast. So don't make the mistake of thinking all Brazilian coffee beans can be roasted the same way. The bean's origin, processing method, and which flavors are usually found in a cup of coffee produced with that bean play a big part in deciding which roast level to use for a single origin.

While Brazil produces coffee in over a dozen regions, not all play a major role in the World of coffee. 

90% of all Brazilian coffee is grown in Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, São Paulo, and Bahia. In addition to these four, we introduce Cerrado Mineiro and Matas de Minas because of their role in Brazilian coffee culture.

São Paulo

Altitude: 800 to 1,200 meters above sea level

Varieties: Mundo Novo, Catuai, Bourbon

Flavor Profile: Farmers from São Paulo often produce coffees with a balanced flavor profile with moderate acidity, medium body, and notes of milk chocolate, nuts, and subtle fruitiness.

Good to know: The Port of Santos is located in São Paulo, and you'll see many Brazilian coffees with the name Santos on them because coffees are often named after the port they are shipped from - but that doesn't mean all Santos coffees are grown in Sao Paulo!

Minas Gerais

Altitude: 700 to 1,200 meters above sea level

Varieties: Mainly Catuai and Mundo Novo

Flavor Profile: There is a wide range of flavor profiles because this region is vast and has diverse microclimates. You often find single origin coffees with mild acidity, medium body, and notes of chocolate, nuts, and caramel. Some higher-altitude areas may have brighter acidity and floral undertones.

Good to know: The name Minas Gerais (“general mine”) is a reminder of the gold rush in the region during the 18th century. Today, coffees are the region’s gold. Minas Gerais is one of the largest coffee growers in Brazil (around half of all coffee grown in Brazil is from there).

Espírito Santo

Altitude: 200 to 800 meters above sea level

Varieties: Mainly Conilon (Robusta), and some Arabica blends

Flavor Profile: Espírito Santo focuses more on Robusta production (Conilon). The flavor profile of the local robusta beans tends to be more straightforward, with less acidity, stronger bitterness, and a full body.

Good to know: Espírito Santo is Brazil's second-largest coffee-growing region but often not in the spotlight of coffee lovers because the region mainly grows robusta beans. While robusta is generally perceived as a lower-quality coffee plant, growers in Espírito Santo strive to create great-quality robusta beans.

Bahia

Altitude: 800 to 1,100 meters above sea level

Varieties: Mainly Catuai, Mundo Novo, Bourbon

Flavor Profile: Bahian coffees are popular because of their medium body, mild acidity, and flavors that lean towards nutty and chocolatey notes. Some coffees, especially those from higher altitudes, have fruity hints and sweetness.

Good to know: Bahia is a comparably young coffee-growing region, as commercial production only started in the 1970s. Bahia is one of the regions that uses a lot of machination for coffee production. The cost of coffee production in Bahia is very high - but results in comparably large crops.

Cerrado Mineiro

Altitude: 800 to 1,300 meters above sea level

Varieties: Mainly Catuai, Mundo Novo, Bourbon, Acaiá

Flavor Profile: Cerrado coffees are well-balanced with medium acidity, a good body, and a mix of nutty, chocolatey, and sometimes fruity notes. 

Good to know: In 2005, Cerrado Mineiro was the first coffee-producing region in the country to receive a Designation of Origin (DO) certification from the Brazilian National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI).

Matas de Minas

Altitude: 800 to 1,200 meters above sea level

Varieties: Mainly Catuai, Mundo Novo, Bourbon

Flavor Profile: Matas de Minas coffees have a bright acidity and a medium body. Flavors can range from citrus and floral to cocoa and caramel. 

Good to know: Matas de Minas is known for its efforts to be sustainable and integrate coffee cultivation with natural ecosystems. Many coffee farms in this region use agroforestry, which means that coffee plants are grown in a more natural ecosystem.

Brazil Coffee Varietals

After everything you've learned so far, it probably doesn't come as a surprise that there are many different coffee bean varieties in Brazil. You can also find some of them in other countries (e.g., Bourbon), but some are mainly used in Brazil. Let's take a look at some of the most common beans used in Brazil.

Acaia

Acaia coffee beans are known for their vibrant flavor profile. They have a delicate balance between sweetness and acidity. These are grown primarily in Brazil. Acaia beans are popular because of their bright, citrusy notes and smooth body.

Bourbon

Bourbon coffee beans are grown in many countries but come from Bourbon (now Réunion). They are popular because of their well-rounded flavor profile with a mix of sweetness, acidity, and body. They taste of caramel, chocolate, and sometimes fruit.

Mundo Novo

Mundo Novo coffee beans are a hybrid variety of Typica and Bourbon. They are very popular in Brazil because they produce a cup of coffee with a full body, low acidity, and a range of beautiful flavors (but mainly nutty and chocolaty, with some hints of spiciness).

Catuaí

Catuaí beans are a compact mutation of Mundo Novo and Caturra. They are popular because they're pretty productive and can adapt to diverse climates. Catuaí coffee is balanced with moderate acidity, a medium body, and flavors that include mild citrus, nuttiness, and a touch of sweetness.

Catucaí 

This is a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra. These coffee beans are disease-resistant and yield-efficient. Catucaí beans result in a smooth beverage with a medium body and a gentle acidity. Tasting notes frequently include fruitiness and a subtle sweetness.

Catigua 

Catigua beans are a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra (or Mundo Novo and Catuaí). These beans are used in Brazil but not as often as other varietals. Catigua coffee is well-balanced, with a moderate body and mild acidity. Flavors range from nutty and chocolatey to hints of stone fruit.

Topazio 

Topazio coffee plants originated in Brazil. These beans are popular because of their consistent and uniform size, which makes roasting them easier. Topazio coffee is mild but surprisingly nuanced. It has a mild acidity, a medium body, and notes of caramel, nuts, and delicate fruit hints.

Brazil produces mainly naturally processed coffee beans. After the coffee cherries have been harvested, they are laid out on a raised bed or patio in a thin layer. They dry under the sun and are regularly turned to prevent over-fermentation and mold formation. Once the whole fruit is dry, the bean is extracted.

The semi-washed process is also popular for coffee in Brazil, mainly in Minas Gerais and some more humid zones with shorter dry seasons. During the semi-washed process, the skin and outer layer of the cherries are removed. This leaves a layer of fruit, which is then dried together with the bean - either under the sun or with the help of machine dryers. Once dry, the rest of the fruit is removed from around the berry.

Fully washed coffee usually comes from Bahia, which isn't surprising considering the region's preference for highly technified farms. The cherries are washed in the wet process until all flesh is removed from around the bean before it is dried.

Thanks to its versatility, Brazilian coffee can be brewed in whichever way you like best. The most important thing is using the right coarseness/fineness for the coffee grounds, i.e., don't use a coarse grind if you want to make an espresso. 

Of course, we do need to talk about the traditional way to drink and serve coffee in Brazilian coffee culture:

Cafezinho

If you're in Brazil or want to experience Brazilian coffee culture at home, you must try Cafezinho. It's black coffee with unrefined sugar ("rapadura" in Brazil). Some Brazilians add milk or cream to it, but the traditional way to drink this is black. And this is how you make it:

1. Boil some sugar water, preferably filtered (1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of sugar per person).
2. Remove from heat once it has come to a boil.
3. Stir in one heaped tablespoon of ground coffee per person (an espresso grind works best).
4. Stir for about half a minute.
5. Pour the mix through a paper or cloth filter (either straight into a cup or another pot),
6. Serve and enjoy!