Characteristics of Brazilian Coffee Beans, Brazilian Semi-Washed Process Arabica Coffee Beans Suitable for Pour-Over Coffee

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Brazilian coffee beans mostly appear as blend beans, though single-origin varieties also exist, such as FrontStreet Coffee's staple Brazilian coffee and the single-origin Brazil Queen Coffee. However, these are relatively rare. FrontStreet Coffee believes this has something to do with the inherent flavor profile of Brazilian coffee beans. As an American coffee bean, Brazilian coffee lacks the distinct floral notes and fruity acidity of African beans, nor does it have the rich nutty and chocolate flavors of Asian beans. Brazilian coffee beans are large and aromatic, with moderate bitterness and high-quality acidity. The overall taste is smooth with low acidity, offering endless complexity when savored carefully. Brazilian coffee features low acidity combined with the sweet bitterness of coffee, resulting in an exceptionally smooth mouthfeel with a faint grassy aroma. It's refreshing with a slight bitterness, smooth and pleasant, leaving a refreshing aftertaste. Therefore, Brazilian coffee beans are perfect for blends, and it can be said that without good Brazilian coffee, there would be no good espresso.

Brazilian Coffee Origins

Brazil is the world's largest coffee-producing country, and its coffee quality is relatively stable. Located in tropical regions, northern Brazil has a tropical rainforest climate that is hot and humid year-round, suitable for tropical crop growth. Coffee trees are sun-loving plants, and adequate sunlight is essential for their growth. Compared to other coffee-producing countries in Central and South America, Brazil's altitude is significantly lower. The terrain here is flat and monotonous, lacking microclimates, and the traditional practice of non-shade (full-sun) cultivation has led to the development of Brazil's unique soft bean flavor—low acidity, heavy nutty notes, chocolate sweetness, and excellent body, though with slight woody and earthy notes, while floral and citrus aromas are not prominent. Simply put, Brazilian coffee is lighter and balanced, making it less likely to experience the wild, uplifting acidity and citrus notes of African beans.

Brazilian coffee beans are mainly produced in the central and southern regions, distributed across 7 states with approximately 14 coffee production areas: Sul de Minas, Serra da Mantiqueira, Chapada de Minas, Matas de Minas, Mogiana, Centro-Oeste de São Paulo, Montanhas do Espírito Santo, Conilon Capixaba, Cerrado, Planalto da Bahia, Atlântico Baiano, Paraná, Rondônia, and Cerrado. Among these, the most representative is undoubtedly the Cerrado region. It can be said that the Sul de Minas and Cerrado regions have contributed immeasurably to the rise of Brazilian coffee and are also the premium areas for Brazilian specialty coffee.

Sul de Minas

Sul de Minas became a premium coffee production area largely due to its terrain and climate. Its altitude exceeds 1,100 meters with varied topography. There are distinct wet and dry seasons, significant day-night temperature differences, and diverse microclimates, making it very suitable for cultivating Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon varieties. It is Brazil's earliest coffee production area. Due to rising labor costs, most harvesting is now done mechanically. It was also the first area where coffee was commercialized, and we can see many large exporters based here.

Cerrado

The historic centenary coffee farm Fazenda Baipú in Brazil is located in the Cerrado region. It is a Brazilian coffee region that has obtained designation of origin status, similar to the renowned status of its wine regions. Fazenda Baipú boasts excellent volcanic soil, balanced wet and dry seasons, high altitude, and adequate rainfall and sunshine.

The Cerrado region is located in the mountainous areas of the southern part of the "Cerrado Grassland Climate Zone," which spans eight provinces in central Brazil and covers approximately two million square kilometers. This vast grassland occupies 22% of Brazil's total area and is deep in the Brazilian interior. In Portuguese, "Cerrado" means "closed land." The Cerrado grasslands originate from Mato Grosso province in southwestern Brazil, extending through the central-western part of Minas Gerais and reaching the western part of Bahia province. The so-called Cerrado Coffee Region refers to the area where the grasslands extend into Minas Gerais state at altitudes of 850-1,200 meters. This distinguishes it from the "Sul de Minas" region, also located in Minas Gerais. The flat and open terrain of the grasslands is particularly suitable for establishing large estates, combined with distinct wet and dry seasons and a relatively cool plateau climate.

Of course, not all Cerrado coffee comes from the entire Cerrado grasslands, but only the coffee-growing areas in the central-western part of Minas Gerais state at altitudes above 1,000 meters can be called Cerrado coffee regions. This area represents the essence of the Cerrado grasslands, with high altitude and fertile soil, producing specialty coffee beans that are sweet, full-bodied, and clean. FrontStreet Coffee believes that coffee from this region has a rich flavor without earthy notes.

FrontStreet Coffee's staple Brazilian coffee comes from the Cerrado region of Brazil.

Mogiana

This area is very close to southern Minas. Coffee is grown among bushes, grasslands, and other plants. In this region, there are many farming families, some of which operate traditional large farms while others adopt small-scale modern operations. The combination of modern technology and mountain coffee cultivation culture creates the highest quality green coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Coffee comes from Yellow Bourbon coffee in the Mogiana region.

Brazilian Coffee Bean Varieties

Both Bourbon and Typica belong to relatively ancient varieties. The main varieties of Brazilian coffee are Bourbon, Mundo Novo, and Catuai. Yellow Bourbon is generally only grown in Brazil, such as the Brazil Queen Estate coffee beans available at FrontStreet Coffee, which are of the Yellow Bourbon variety. Brazilian Bourbon has higher yields, rounder beans, rich berry acidity, and very distinct creamy aromas, but Bourbon's disease resistance is relatively poor.

Red Bourbon

Red Bourbon is actually a sub-variety resulting from a Typica mutation. Along with Typica, it belongs to one of the oldest existing coffee varieties. It generally produces red fruits, hence the name Red Bourbon. In addition, there are Yellow Bourbon and Pink Bourbon. Red Bourbon refers to the general Bourbon coffee tree where, after flowering and fruiting, the coffee cherry color changes from: green → slight yellow → slight orange → mature red → darker red when fully ripe, thus earning the name Red Bourbon. Its flavor has excellent aroma, bright acidity, and even tastes similar to red wine. Red Bourbon is currently the most widely cultivated variety in Brazilian coffee regions.

FrontStreet Coffee's staple Brazilian coffee is of the Red Bourbon variety.

Yellow Bourbon

Yellow Bourbon is also a genetic mutation of Bourbon. Bourbon has long been considered a leader among coffee varieties due to its high yield and quality. Yellow Bourbon is a unique Bourbon variant from São Paulo state, Brazil. Unlike Red Bourbon, where coffee cherries turn red when ripe, Yellow Bourbon cherries turn orange-yellow when ripe, hence the name. Because Yellow Bourbon is grown at very high altitudes, its flavor is exceptional.

Yellow Bourbon typically has nutty and chocolate flavors, with balanced and smooth acidity, subtle and clean bitterness, resulting in an overall bright and refreshing taste.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Coffee is of the Yellow Bourbon variety.

Brazilian Coffee Bean Processing Method - Pulped Natural Processing

Before 1990, Brazil almost exclusively used crude natural processing methods, which often caused Brazilian beans to develop woody or earthy flavors because coffee cherries had to undergo two to three weeks of sun exposure, and when it rained, they could easily develop moldy flavors. To change this situation of being at the mercy of the weather, in 1990 Brazil developed the Pulped Natural method to shorten processing time, taking advantage of Brazil's relatively dry climate characteristics. The Pulped Natural method reduces the earthy smell and taste of Brazilian beans while enhancing fruity aromas and sweetness, making it most suitable for single-origin coffee. Pulped Natural processing has become essential equipment for Brazilian specialty coffee beans.

Of course, the introduction of Pulped Natural processing doesn't mean all Brazilian regions use it. The lower humidity Cerrado region still mainly uses natural processing, where Pulped Natural processing plays a supporting role. However, the Red Bourbon from the Cerrado region that FrontStreet Coffee sources is processed using the Pulped Natural method.

Pulped Natural processing removes the skin and pulp of coffee cherries, allowing control over the fermentation degree of the beans with mucilage. Traditional natural processing involves drying the cherries with skin and pulp intact, making it impossible to monitor the fermentation of the mucilage. Pulped Natural processing is a method between natural and washed processing but eliminates the "fermentation in water tanks, rinsing with clean water" steps of washed processing, instead directly drying the beans in the sun. Although the methods may seem similar, without the fermentation step, the flavor of the coffee beans is completely different. In the process of removing coffee cherry skin and pulp, ripe pulp is easy to remove, while unripe green cherries are difficult to process, allowing for a second screening to filter out unripe fruits and standardize the maturity of the coffee cherries. Compared to natural processing, FrontStreet Coffee believes that coffee beans processed through this selection method have improved cleanliness and maturity, resulting in more uniform coffee flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Suggestions

Whether for pour-over or espresso coffee, good brewing requires good coffee beans that are also properly rested. FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that the freshness of coffee beans is a crucial part of brewing. Coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are roasted within 5 days because FrontStreet Coffee understands that bean freshness greatly affects flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring that every customer receives the freshest coffee when they place an order. The coffee resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at its peak flavor.

Of course, some customers need FrontStreet Coffee to grind the beans for them, which is also fine. However, FrontStreet Coffee must remind you: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for further resting because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide buildup in the packaging also helps round out the coffee flavor, so you can brew a cup immediately upon receiving the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly because it oxidizes quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee flavor dissipates more rapidly, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends buying whole beans and grinding them fresh for each brew to better appreciate the coffee's flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Coffee Brewing Parameters:

FrontStreet Coffee chose: KONO dripper, 88°C water temperature, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15 grams of coffee, and grind size (75% pass-through rate on Chinese standard #20 sieve).

Using segmented extraction, bloom with twice the amount of water as the coffee grounds, i.e., 30 grams of water for 30 seconds. Continue pouring in a circular motion until reaching 125 grams, then segment, continue pouring until 225 grams and stop. Once the water from the dripper has finished dripping, remove the dripper. Time from the start of pouring, extraction time is 2'00". Next, pick up the entire cup of coffee, shake it well, and pour it into cups for tasting.

Pulped Natural Brazilian Cerrado coffee bean flavor: The first sip reveals obvious sweetness with a faint lemon aroma, containing rich nutty flavors, with distinct dark chocolate notes in the finish. The overall sensation is quite rounded.

Natural processed Brazil Queen Estate coffee bean flavor: Balanced taste, with almond and cocoa as the main tones, highlighting the sweetness of cane sugar. This is a coffee with good body and abundant sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian coffee beans include both single-origin options, such as staple Brazilian coffee beans and single-origin Brazil Queen coffee beans, as well as blend beans, such as basic blends, specialty blends, and commercial blends, all using Brazilian coffee beans as the base. Whether single-origin or blend, Brazilian coffee flavors are relatively balanced and unique, making them the first choice for friends who don't like acidic coffee. Of course, the floral and fruity acidic notes of Ethiopian coffee are also excellent!

Important Notice :

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