Brazilian Coffee Guide (Top Picks, Guide + Brewing Tips)

It’s not hard to find Brazilian Coffee – most of the world’s coffee comes from Brazil! But what is Brazilian coffee really known for? How is it grown and harvested? Will they always be the world’s largest coffee producing country?

And the most important question: How do find and brew amazing Brazilian coffee from your own home?

Read on to find out how coffee in Brazil got its start, where the industry is going in the future, what sets Brazil apart from other coffee producing countries, and the best Brazilian coffee brands available.

TOP PICK

Brûlerie du Quai Brazil Cerrado

The highest quality beans from a family-run estate in Minas Gerais. You’re getting a classic Brazilian coffee-drinking experience, from the nutty, chocolatey flavours down to the rich crema.

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Some Interesting Facts About Brazilian Coffee

Brazil is a massive country. The 5th largest country in the world by landmass (8.51 million square kilometres) and the 5th most populated country in the world (207 million).

Much of the country is still rainforest. It’s warm tropical climate make it great for growing coffee. So what makes Brazil such a unique coffee growing country?

Brazil Produces the Most Coffee of Any Coffee Growing Nation

For the last 150 years, Brazil has been producing more coffee (1) than any other country in the world. In 2016, Brazil produced 2,595,000 metric tons of coffee beans, where as Vietnam, the 2nd largest producer of coffee stood at 1,650,000 metric tons. Ethiopia (#5 on the list) only produced 384,000 tons.

Brazil and Ethiopia are the only coffee producing countries that have a significant coffee consumption. Most other coffee producing countries export most of their coffee and hardly drink any themselves.

image	product	details
	Brûlerie du Quai Brazil Cerrado	Medium roast Chocolate, almond, caramel Whole bean	SEE ON AMAZON
	Green Coffee Co Brazil Cerrado	Unroasted Nuts, chocolate, caramel, spice Whole bean	SEE ON AMAZON
	Illy Arabica Selection Brasile	Medium roast Caramel Whole bean	SEE ON AMAZON

Slavery (Might Still Exist) on Coffee Plantations

Coffee arrived in the nation in the mid-1700’s by French settlers. As time passed, coffee eventually became Brazil’s largest export, passing sugar cane.

By 1840, Brazil was producing more coffee than any other country, and plantation owners became very wealthy. It wasn’t until 1888 that slavery was officially abolished (2). But even today, there are farms that still have slavery-like conditions (3).

Brazil has been very progressive in the coffee farming and production industry and protecting farmers, but sometimes farms can slide under the radar and treat migrant workers like slaves.

The largest farms are so advanced in their practices and technologies that they are frequently monitored by different agencies to meet certain certifications, and the smallest farms are typically run by families.

It’s the medium-sized farms that are at the highest risk of slave like conditions, such as long workdays, lack of proper shelter, and debt bondage.

Be aware of this when buying direct – you don’t want to be supporting that shit!

Growing Conditions

The coffee regions of Brazil (4) are nestled alongside the Atlantic Coast in the southeast region of the country. These areas receive moderate sunlight and rain with steady temperatures year round, which are great for growing both Arabica and Robusta beans.

What Brazil lacks, however, is the higher elevations, which tend to produce better coffee. Because of the lower elevations, farms can grow more coffee, faster. They can also grow Robusta beans. The result is more quantity, but not necessarily high quality coffee.

The country is investing time and money to produce better drying technologies to speed up the process and to protect the beans from prolonged fermentation.

Brazil also processes a significant amount of their coffee via the pulped natural method, which combines the best characteristics of wet and dry processed methodologies.

Due to the low humidity, Brazil has mastered this processing method and produces the best pulped natural coffees around the globe.

Thirteen out of the 27 federative states of Brazil that produce coffee including Rio de Janeiro, which has the second largest economy in the country. The 3 largest and most prominent coffee growing states in the country are:

1. Minas Gerais – Meaning General Mines, this is the biggest coffee-growing state where 4 coffee-producing regions are located. It houses half of Brazil’s coffee production farms. High-quality Obatã, Icatu, Catuaí, Catuaí Rubi, and Mundo Novo coffees are grown here.
   • Cerrado de Minas – This region was the first to be awarded the Designation of Origin status. With elevations reaching 800 to 1,300 metres, this region produces high-grade coffees.
   • Chapada de Minas – This region of valleys and highlands grows Catuai and Mundo Novo varieties.
   • Matas de Minas – The area is mostly composed of small coffee farms. This emerging coffee-region’s landscape is uneven and the coffee varietals that are produced here are known to have chocolate or caramel notes — pretty similar to the coffees produced in Bolivia.
   • Sul de Minas – With mild temperatures and average altitude of 1000 meters, this region has been producing 30% of the country’s coffee. Coffees produced in Sul de Minas are known to be full-bodied with fruity notes.
2. Espírito Santo – This state mainly grows Robusta coffee beans. It’s home to the coffee growing regions Montanhas de Espirito Santo and Conilon Capixaba.
3. São Paulo – This state is where you’ll find Port Santos, which is the port known for coffee exportation. It is home to the coffee subregions Mogiana and Centre-Oeste de São Paulo coffee farms.
   • Centro-Oeste de São Paolo – This region covers four cities. Its coffee farms are mostly small to medium in size. It has quite a craggy, uneven terrain.
   • Mogiana – With land areas sitting 900 to 1,100 metres above sea level and mild temperatures, this region is able to produce high-quality coffee beans.

Flavor Characteristics And Tasting Notes

Brazilian coffee tends to be low in acidity, smooth in body with sweet flavours.

These flavours are primarily chocolatey and nutty. These can range from milk chocolate to bitter cocoa and toasted almond.

Some of the higher quality, specialty grade coffees that grow at higher elevations can contain subtle citrus notes and other brighter fruit characteristics. It’s very rare to find a Brazil with a bright, juicy acidity.

Honorable Mentions

Don’t miss beans from the following regions of Brasilia:

Brazil Santos coffee is the most well known specialty grade coffee from the nation. The name Brazil Santos comes from the port that the coffee of this region travels through.

Bourbon Santos is arguably the best coffee Brazil has to offer. Bourbon Santos coffee is known for its smooth and mild flavours, and is often described as nutty and sweet. Most of these beans are grown in São Paulo or Minas Gerais.

Carmo de Minas is another wonderful coffee from Brazil. Carmo de Minas is located in the southern part of Minas Gerais state, which has fertile soil and slightly higher elevations than much of the country.

The coffee produced here may have a bit more acidity with some soft fruit notes, backed by a sweet chocolatey body. Estate coffee’s from Brazil are those grown at specific, high quality farms in the country. When you see the word “estate,” it can be traced back to that specific farm and family. Many of these coffees are those that win awards, so if you see one, be sure to pick it up.

The Current State of the Brazil’s Coffee-Growing Industry

As far as technology and sustainability is concerned, Brazil is one of the most developed nations (5) in terms of coffee production. Despite coffee production facing so many obstacles these days, Brazilian coffee farmers continue to adapt and improve their practices.

Brazil is continuously investing in new technologies to increase efficiency and quality on the farms and is trying to ensure coffee farmers are well cared for, paid right and given ample opportunity.

70-80% of the coffee produced in Brazil is Arabica. The rest is Robusta.

For a country that produces so much coffee, with a relatively low growing elevation, not all coffee is great. In fact, most of the coffee produced is not good. But it all serves a purpose: Most specialty roasters purchase Brazil’s for their blends.

These coffee’s are full bodied, sweet and low in acidity, so they can blend them with coffee’s that have a light body and brighter flavour notes to achieve a balanced cup or the perfect espresso.

Brazil is also the world’s largest exporter of instant coffee (6). Between 10-20% of all coffee exported by Brazil is instant coffee. Instant coffee is usually made up lower quality coffees.

In 1960, coffee was Brazil’s top export, accounting for nearly 60% of all of the country’s exports. In 2006, coffee accounted for 2.5% of the country’s exports.

The Best Way To Brew Methods for Brazilian Coffee

The best Brazilian coffee beans can produce a drink with a full body, low acidity and notes of sweet chocolate and toasted nut. There are multiple ways of enjoying this type of coffee to the fullest. Whichever brew method you prefer, just make sure that the ground coffee is in the ideal fineness or coarseness.

French Press

The French Press is known for brewing coffee with a full, heavy body. Because the French press is a full immersion brewer, the ground coffee sits in the water for up to 5 minutes.

This doesn’t do so well with highly acidic coffee, as it can taste sour and muddy. But It is perfect, however for coffees that are naturally lower in acidity. It also helps to pronounce the sweet chocolate notes of the coffee.

Espresso

Almost every traditional espresso blend has Brazilian coffees in it. Why? These beans are just made for espresso. Again, it’s the full, sweet, chocolatey character that helps to make the perfect shot of espresso.

Cold Brew

Brazil’s do great as cold brew for the same reasons listed above. Most people want their cold brew to be smooth and refreshing. Brazilian coffee excel and smooth and refreshing, especially when brewed cold.

Where to Buy The Best Brazilian Coffee Brands

It’s not hard to find Brazilian coffee. But it can be relatively difficult to find an excellent coffee from Brazil. In fact, it can be hard to find ANY good coffee bean. Check out these roasters for the best Brazilian coffee brands.

1. Brûlerie du Quai Brazil Cerrado

• Roast level: Medium

• Tasting notes: Chocolate, almond, caramel
• Ground or whole bean: Whole bean

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This delightful single origin offers the quintessential Brazilian coffee experience. In the cup it’s well balanced, with plenty of the chocolatey and nutty flavours that the country is known for, with some added sweetness of caramel notes.

The beans are sourced from the State of Minas Gerais, which is known to produce some of the most premium Brazil coffee. Brûlerie du Quai deals directly with the Barbosa family, who have been running a plantation in the area for four generations. It’s naturally processed on-site before being shipped to Canada, where it’s given a medium roast directly before shipping.

2. Green Coffee Co Brazil Cerrado

• Roast level: unroasted

• Tasting notes: Nuts, chocolate, caramel, spice
• Ground or whole bean: Whole bean

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If you really want to delve deeper into Brazilian coffee, try buying these unroasted Cerrado beans. This allows you to experiment with the roast profile and also ensures you always have fresh roasted coffee at hand. Green beans have a much longer shelf life too – maintaining their flavour for up to a year if unroasted.

Although coffee beans do have their own intrinsic flavour profile that reflects where and how they are grown, the roast level will also affect the exact tastes that you get when brewing. This coffee has the classic chocolate and caramel tastes of Cerrado coffee, but you could also discover notes of cashew nuts, cardamom, honey and orange rind.

3. Illy Arabica Selection Brasile

• Roast level: Medium

• Tasting notes: Caramel
• Ground or whole bean: Whole bean

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Italian coffee giant Illy is predominantly known for their 100% Arabica blends that are especially popular for espresso machines and Moka pots. But in the process of sourcing their beans, they also discover some single-origin coffees that deserve their own release.

Selection Brasile is perfect for anyone who wants a full-strength, rich coffee with an easy-drinking profile. These beans make a cup that’s bold but balanced, with a strong caramel flavour.

Most Suitable Roast type for Brazilian Coffees

Brazil coffee can handle whatever you prefer.

• If you like a lighter roast, you will get a smooth, low acid, chocolatey and nutty cup of coffee. It will be easy drinking.
• If you like a darker roast, these beans can handle that as well. The dark roast will really highlight the full body and the toasted nut character.

The chocolatey notes may go from a milk chocolate sweetness to a bitter sweet cocoa.

These coffee beans are versatile and you can enjoy them anyway you like.

Brazil coffee beans tend to have a low bean density which may make roasting a bit trickier than other coffees. You simply need to pay attention while roasting and not go too fast.

Since these beans are softer, applying lower heat for a longer period of time will make for a balanced roast, as opposed to high heat quickly, which may just scorch the beans.

Aproveite, Meu Amigo! (Enjoy, my friend)

Brazilian coffee is technically the most popular coffee in the world. It’s everywhere, especially in the United States. We get most of their exports. Chances are, there are some good Brazilian coffee brands out there for you.

This single origin coffee has its own unique profile and its characteristics will only be improving as time goes by and Brazil invests more and more in their industry.

Have a favourite coffee from Brazil? Where’d you get it?