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Brazilian Coffee
BRAZILIAN COFFEE BEANS
Brazil is the world’s leading grower and exporter of coffee beans, with a mellow flavor that makes for a very typical dark roast.
About one-third of all of the world’s coffee is grown in Brazil, and much of Brazil’s premium coffee is labeled Santos after the port it is shipped through. Brazil is the largest exporter in the world, supplying approximately 60% of the world’s coffee – this is due in part to the sheer size of the country. While Brazil is a prolific exporter, it’s average elevation for coffee production is only about 1,100 meters. This qualifies most of it as High Grown Coffee (900-1,200 meters), but some crops certainly fall below that threshold.
Many high quality espresso blends are made from either Bourbon Santos or Brazil Cerrado due to the ability of Brazilian coffees to take dark roasts without turning overly bitter. This is due in part to the mild, balance flavor of Brazilian coffee beans.
Altitude Range: 400 – 1,600 meters above sea level
Language Spoken: Portuguese, English, Spanish
Harvest: May – September
Annual Coffee Production: 40 – 60 million bags
Common Varieties: Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, Catuai, Acaia, Mundo Novo, Icatu
The best Brazilian coffees have a relatively low acidity, and exhibits a nutty sweet flavor, often bittersweet with a chocolaty roast taste. Most un-roasted Brazilian green coffee is dry processed (unwashed; natural).
The most favorable quality of a Brazilian coffee is its price – but after that, the mildness helps to balance out more intense coffee beans, making it a feature of many blends.
BUYING BRAZIL COFFEES
Specialty care should be taken to buy only whole-bean coffees that are fresh roasted rather than have been sitting on store shelves. Brazilian coffees are mild flavored to begin with, and stale Brazil tend to be completely devoid of flavor.
Coffees that sit on retail store shelving or in distribution warehouses (eg. Amazon) are typically roasted weeks or months before being sold. Roasted whole bean coffee should be 2-3 weeks old at maximum (if in a valve sealed bag), and ground coffee should be consumed within 1 week of grinding.
BRAZILIAN COFFEE BEANS IN ESPRESSO
Furthermore, if you order an espresso or an espresso drink at your local coffeehouse, there is probably a predominance of coffee from Brazil in the grounds used – often up to 90% of the coffee in an espresso blend is from Brazil.
BRAZILIAN COFFEE GROWING HISTORY
The story of coffee in Brazil begins with an intriguing tale involving a Brazilian lieutenant and his liaison with a Guiana governor’s wife who secretly gave him coffee cuttings in a bouquet of flowers.
Source: ESPRESSOCOFFEEGUIDE.COM