How are Brazilian Natural Process Bourbon Coffee Beans Market Conditions and Which Brazilian Coffee Brand is Best

The Bourbon Variety

Bourbon originates from Bourbon Island (or, by some accounts, Ethiopia) and is susceptible to pests and diseases with lower yields. Some data indicates that Yellow Bourbon yields more than Red Bourbon and Orange Bourbon, but Red Bourbon is the most common variety. Bourbon is closely related genetically to SL28, Typica, and Caturra. Because it yields less even in suitable environments, it often produces very high-quality cup profiles — evidence suggests that lower yields tend to create higher quality, as the plants can more effectively absorb soil nutrients.

Typical Bourbon cup characteristics include low body, balance, and noticeable sweetness, making it an excellent base bean for espresso blends.

The Catuai Variety

Catuai is a coffee variety artificially hybridized from Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai has good resistance to natural disasters, particularly wind and rain.

Catuai trees are relatively short. Compared with other coffee trees, Catuai's fruit grows more firmly attached and is not easy to harvest. The fruit comes in both red and yellow forms, and to date no significant taste difference has been found between yellow and red fruits. In fact, some cuppers have noticed that although coffee from yellow fruits has good acidity, the cleanliness of the taste is slightly inferior to that from red fruits.

Catuai was bred in Brazil and is now widely grown throughout Central America.

Coffee Origin Details

Country: Brazil

Grade: SC14/SC16

Region: South Minas

Roast Degree: Medium roast

Processing Method: Pulped natural

Varieties: Bourbon, Catuai

Altitude: 1000-1200 meters

Flavor: Roasted melon seeds, rich and full-bodied, dark chocolate, with a sweet aftertaste and lingering finish.

Brazil's Coffee Regions

The Cerrado plateau in western Minas and South Minas have altitudes mostly above 1100 meters, rich topography, distinct wet and dry seasons, large day-night temperature differences, and abundant microclimates — ideal for cultivating the elegant Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon varieties, which has naturally made them Brazil's main specialty coffee producing regions. Additionally, Mogiana in the northeast of São Paulo state also focuses on shade-grown Bourbon, ranking alongside Cerrado and South Minas as Brazil's three major specialty producing regions.

Brazil's terrain is flat, with coffee farms mostly at altitudes around 600-1000 meters. The landscape is flat and monotonous, lacking microclimates. The practice of growing without shade trees has also developed Brazil's unique soft bean character — low acidity, heavy nutty notes, chocolate sweetness, and good body, but with slight woody and earthy tones, while floral and citrus aromas are not prominent.

Minas Gerais sits in the heartland of the Brazilian plateau in southeastern South America and produces more than half of Brazil's high-quality Arabica coffee.

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

Brewing Method

Hand-poured Brazil: 15g of coffee, medium grind (setting #4 on the Fuji ghost-tooth grinder), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and stop, wait until the water level drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Variety Details

Variety: Bourbon related
Origin: Original variety from Bourbon Island
Grows best at: 800 meters and above
Type: Original (heirloom) variety
Commonly found in: Coffee-growing regions worldwide
Main colors: Red, yellow, and orange, but mainly red
Bean size: Average
Leaf characteristics: Broad, short

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this overview of Brazil's Bourbon and Catuai varieties has you ready to taste the real thing, FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil lineup covers both sides of the profile. The FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon — grown in South Minas at around 1000m and processed pulped natural, exactly the method described above — is a classic Brazilian single origin: medium roasted, it opens with the aroma of creamed peanuts, toast, caramel, and hazelnut, rounds out with low acidity and a light pleasant bitterness, and suits pour-over, moka pot, siphon, French press, and espresso SOE alike. For the Yellow Bourbon side of the family, try the FrontStreet Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon from Mogiana's fertile red volcanic soil: a rare yellow-fruited Bourbon mutation with a cleaner fruit character and the sugarcane sweetness unique to this origin, alongside fruit and chocolate notes. And if you want Brazil as the backbone of your espresso, FrontStreet's espresso blends — the crema-rich Classic Blend, nutty Premium Blend, balanced Black Cocoa Blend, and the coffee-shop-oriented Commercial Blend — all use Brazilian beans to deliver chocolate and cream aromas with a soft, stable balance that keeps every shot consistent.