Characteristics, Grades, and Stories of Brazilian Coffee Beans - What is the Average Altitude of Brazilian Coffee?

Understanding Brazilian Coffee Classification

Management practices vary across different coffee bean origins, with some operated by small and large-scale farmers, while others are dominated by specialized enterprise owners. Even within the same region, coffee quality and flavor profiles can differ significantly. To indicate coffee quality and facilitate more convenient trading, "coffee classification" systems were established. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will explore the green bean grading system of coffee giant Brazil.

Brazilian coffee beans are characterized by their full-bodied particles, mild aromas, and moderate, smooth taste profiles, making them representative of neutral coffees. They can be enjoyed as single-origin coffee brewed through pour-over methods or blended with other coffee beans to create espresso. As a major coffee-producing nation, Brazil supplies approximately 45% of the world's green coffee beans, holding a pivotal position in the global coffee market. Any factors affecting Brazilian coffee production will have corresponding impacts on global coffee prices.

Brazilian Coffee Growing Regions

The average growing altitude for Brazilian coffee ranges from 600 to 1,200 meters, significantly lower than neighboring Colombian growing regions. The local terrain consists mainly of lower-altitude plains, with a minority of Brazilian highlands. The plain topography is ideal for large-scale coffee tree cultivation and management. During the coffee bean harvest season, most coffee farms employ mechanical harvesting, directly stripping coffee cherries from the same branch.

Brazilian coffee origins are distributed across 7 states, with Minas Gerais in the southeast being the largest producer, encompassing four sub-regions. Among these, the Cerrado region is Brazil's first coffee-producing area to receive Brazilian Origin Certification, producing mostly high-quality Arabica varieties. As a mature coffee-producing region, Cerrado was Brazil's first area to commercialize coffee, with many exporters establishing large-scale coffee plantations here.

São Paulo state hosts Latin America's largest coffee export port—the Port of Santos—and is also the most historically significant coffee-producing region. Common Santos and Mogiana varieties originate from São Paulo. The Mogiana region boasts rich red volcanic soil, higher altitudes, and a mild climate, contributing to higher-quality coffee production. Most coffee from local estates belongs to specialty grade batches. FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate Coffee on our menu originates from Mogiana, featuring the refined Yellow Bourbon variety with rich flavors and aromas of dark chocolate and creamy peanuts.

FrontStreet Coffee · Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon Coffee Beans

Region: Brazil Mogiana Region
Estate: Queen Estate
Altitude: 1,400 – 1,950 meters
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Processing: Natural
Flavor: Chocolate, Nuts, Cream, Peanuts, Caramel

Brazilian Coffee Classification System

Due to Brazil's large production volume and numerous origins, grading work is quite complex and not suitable for a single classification standard. Therefore, Brazilian coffee employs multiple classification methods, including defect bean percentage, screen size, and cupping quality, all applied in the Brazilian coffee bean grading process. Locally, a "deduction point" system is used to classify grades. Grade classification is determined by the percentage of defective beans in a 300-gram green bean sample.

For example, the bag of FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Cerrado green beans is labeled "Brazil NY.2SC – 17/18 FC Cerrado."

NY.2 refers to the New York grading standard, where grades are classified by defect percentage as NY2, NY2/3, NY3, NY3/4... Smaller numbers indicate lower defect rates and higher grades, with batches scoring below 4 deduction points classified as NY2, the highest grade. Since NY.1 indicates absolutely no defective beans, such meticulously selected batches cannot be stably supplied, so Brazil has established NY.2 as the highest grade.

17/18 means the green bean specification size is between 17-18 screen (1 screen = 1/24 inch).

Flavor and mouthfeel also have corresponding standard classifications, with various descriptions based on cupping taste: Strictly Soft, Soft, Softish, Hard, Rioy. SC stands for Strictly Soft (very smooth), indicating the best mouthfeel.

Cupping quality is classified as Fine Cup, Good Cup, Fair Cup, Poor Cup, and Bad Cup, with Fine Cup representing the best flavor and highest quality, followed by Good Cup.

Of course, in addition to the above green bean standard classifications, many specialty-grade coffee beans feature more traceability information, such as growing region, altitude, processing method, variety, estate information, and more.

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