What Does Brazilian Semi-Washed Bourbon Taste Like & How to Brew Brazilian Coffee

Bourbon traces its origins to Bourbon Island, or, some argue, to Ethiopia, and is susceptible to pests and diseases, with relatively low yields. Some data suggests Yellow Bourbon out-yields Red Bourbon and Orange Bourbon, but Red Bourbon remains the most common. Bourbon is closely related to SL28, Typica, and Caturra. Because it yields less even in ideal conditions, it often delivers a very high-quality cup, lower yields mean each plant draws more nutrients from the soil.

Bourbon's typical cup: low body, balanced, distinctly sweet, which makes it a superb base bean for espresso blends.

Catuai, by contrast, is an artificial cross of Caturra and Mundo Novo, bred for good resistance to the elements, wind and rain in particular.

Catuai trees are relatively short, and the fruit clings firmly to the branch, making it harder to pick. Cherries come in both red and yellow. No evidence has ever shown that yellow fruit tastes better; in fact, some cuppers have found that while coffee from certain yellow lots shows good acidity, its cleanliness falls short of red fruit.

Catuai was bred in Brazil and is now widely planted across Central America.

Roaster: FrontStreet Coffee
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Flavor: Sweet coffee beans
Form: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Brazil
Coffee Type: Bourbon coffee
Roast Degree: Medium roast

Coffee Origin Details

Country: Brazil
Grade: SC14/SC16
Region: South Minas
Roast Level: Medium roast
Processing Method: Pulped natural
Varieties: Bourbon, Catuai
Altitude: 1000-1200 meters
Flavor Notes: Roasted melon seeds, rich and full-bodied, dark chocolate, sweet aftertaste with a lingering finish.

Brazil's Premium Coffee Regions

The Cerrado plateau in western Minas and South Minas mostly sit above 1100 meters, with varied terrain, distinct wet and dry seasons, big day-night temperature swings, and abundant microclimates, ideal for elegant Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. These areas naturally became Brazil's main premium coffee regions. Mogiana in the northeast of São Paulo state, which also grows shade-cultivated Bourbon, rounds out the trio alongside Cerrado and South Minas as Brazil's three great premium origins.

Brazil's terrain is generally flat, and most farms sit at around 600-1000 meters. The flat, monotonous landscape offers few microclimates, and farmers traditionally grow without shade trees. From all this comes Brazil's signature soft-cup profile: low acidity, heavy nutty notes, sweet chocolate aroma, good body, with slight woody and earthy edges, while florals and citrus stay in the background.

Minas Gerais lies in the heart of the Brazilian plateau in the southeastern corner of South America and produces more than half of Brazil's high-quality Arabica.

The Santo Antônio do Amparo region, winner of the 2016 Brazil Cup of Excellence, belongs to the core South Minas producing area near the headquarters of the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA).

Brewing Method

Pour-over for this Brazilian coffee: 15g of coffee at a medium grind (Fuji ghost-tooth grinder, #4), V60 dripper, water at 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and stop. Once the level drops to half, pour slowly up to 225g and skip the tail. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Variety Information

Variety: Bourbon-related
Original Type: Heirloom variety
Origin: Bourbon Island
Grows Best At: 800 meters and above
Commonly Found In: Coffee-growing regions worldwide
Main Colors: Red, yellow, and orange, mainly red
Bean Size: Average
Leaf Characteristics: Broad, short

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Brazil: A World of Variety

As the world's largest coffee producer, Brazil grows an enormous range of coffee. Brazilian beans bring moderate acidity, and the balance of sweetness, bitterness, and body is exceptional, which is why they take to medium roasting so well. Roasted to medium, the nutty aromas hit you immediately; the cup is mellow and fragrant with a gentle acidity, equally at home as a single origin or in a blend.

FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon

If you just want a first taste of Brazil, reach for FrontStreet's pulped-natural Cerrado, a thoroughly classic Brazilian single origin. Cerrado is a renowned growing zone with a reputation for high-quality beans, and this lot is the Red Bourbon variety common across South America. Medium roasted, it shows rich aromas of creamy peanut, toasted bread, caramel, and hazelnut, with a round, non-acidic cup and just a light touch of bitterness. It works beautifully as a pour-over, but also for moka pot, espresso SOE, siphon, or French press.

FrontStreet Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon

FrontStreet's other Brazilian single origin, Queen Estate, comes from Mogiana near South Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil feeds the cherries and builds full, saturated aromatics. Part of the region keeps to traditional farm practices while the rest has adopted modern, standardized management, and quality has improved dramatically as a result. The variety is the rare Yellow Bourbon, a genetic mutation of Red Bourbon with an even cleaner fruit character. Brewed as pour-over, moka pot, or home espresso, Queen Estate delivers a sugarcane sweetness you won't find elsewhere, alongside fruit and chocolate notes.

FrontStreet Espresso Blend Series

Low acidity, balanced cup, friendly price, these qualities make Brazil the backbone of many espresso recipes. The crema-rich FrontStreet Classic Blend, the nut-forward FrontStreet Specialty Blend, the well-rounded FrontStreet Dark Cocoa Blend recommended by countless baristas, and the café-focused FrontStreet Commercial Blend all contain Brazilian beans. Brazil in the mix contributes chocolate and cream aromatics, softens the sweet-sour-bitter balance, and its even tonality makes extraction more stable.