Introduction to Brazilian Coffee Beans: Flavor Characteristics of Brazilian Cerrado and Brazilian Queen Coffee

Brazilian Coffee: The Foundation of Exceptional Blends

As the foundational bean in coffee blends—Brazilian coffee beans offer no particularly outstanding advantages nor obvious drawbacks. This coffee features a mild and smooth taste with low acidity, moderate body, and a subtle sweetness. Brazilian coffee lacks the intense lemon-citrus acidity of Yirgacheffe coffee nor the richness of Indonesian Mandheling coffee. Without excessive acidity or bitterness, Brazilian coffee beans hold a significant market in the world of coffee blends. FrontStreet Coffee's three blend varieties—Basic Blend, Premium Blend, and Commercial Blend—all use Brazilian coffee beans as their foundation.

Brazil: The Coffee Kingdom

As the world's largest producer of Arabica coffee, Brazil supplies both commercial and specialty beans to the global coffee market. Located in the Western Hemisphere's Latin American region, on the eastern side of South America along the western Atlantic coast, Brazil shares land borders with all South American countries except Ecuador and Chile. One-third of its territory features a tropical rainforest climate, while two-thirds has a tropical savanna climate. These superior tropical natural conditions are exceptionally suitable for the growth and production of coffee, a tropical economic crop. Brazil has fully utilized its tropical geographical environment, emphasizing coffee production and sales, making its coffee production volume, export volume, and per capita consumption rank at the top globally for many years, earning it the reputation of "Coffee Kingdom."

Brazilian Geographical Conditions

We know that higher altitude coffee beans generally offer better flavor, but Brazil's growing regions typically have lower elevations, resulting in relatively moderate, balanced Brazilian coffee flavors. When someone asks FrontStreet Coffee for a coffee without acidity, FrontStreet Coffee recommends Brazilian coffee. Brazilian coffee is generally grown in relatively flat terrain. To adapt to local conditions, Brazilian plantation owners cultivated improved Arabica coffee trees decades ago that don't require high altitudes or shade. These can be planted on plains or grasslands, directly exposed to bright sunlight, unlike traditional higher-altitude shade cultivation methods.

Brazilian coffee plantations typically have elevations of only a few hundred meters, or even grow on flat ground without issue. This sun-exposed cultivation method allows coffee cherries to mature more quickly, resulting in less complete flavor development. Additionally, the bean density—so-called hardness—is not as good as high-altitude beans. The fruit acidity is noticeably lower, and the flavor is rather simple. Coastal Rio coffee even carries iodine and salty flavors, believed to result from certain microbial actions. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee believes that even with the same soil, this flavor may not necessarily occur every year, because coffee is an agricultural product that varies with annual climate changes, though the general flavor profile remains consistent. Most coffee enthusiasts don't appreciate this flavor, but only a few Middle Eastern countries with traditions of adding sugar and boiling coffee find it particularly suitable for Rio-style coffee.

Brazil's terrain is mainly divided into two major parts: the Brazilian Plateau with elevations above 500 meters, distributed across central and southern Brazil, and plains below 200 meters in elevation, mainly distributed in the northern and western Amazon River basin. The lower altitude of Brazilian growing regions, due to flat terrain, cannot form diverse microclimate conditions. Coffee trees are planted over large areas without shade coverage, creating the flavor characteristics of soft beans. So-called soft beans refer to those grown in low-altitude environments where fruit ripens faster, bean density is lower, and flavors primarily feature mellow, balanced chocolate and nutty notes, lacking the rich fruit acidity prominent in high-altitude hard beans. For example, Panama Geisha coffee beans are harder than Brazilian coffee beans because Panama Geisha grows at higher altitudes.

Cerrado Growing Region

Brazil has 21 states, with 17 producing coffee, but 7 states account for 98% of total production. These are: São Paulo, Paraná, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rondônia, and Rio de Janeiro. Among these, specialty coffee growing regions are mainly distributed in Minas Gerais and São Paulo states. The coffee market has identified a pattern: the abundance or scarcity of Brazilian coffee bean production depends on whether Minas Gerais has a bountiful or poor harvest, and Minas Gerais' harvest depends on South Minas, Cerrado, and Mogiana.

South Minas (Sul de Minas)

South Minas is Brazil's oldest coffee growing region, a sub-region of Minas Gerais state. The climate here is mild and comfortable, with higher elevations than most Brazilian growing regions, averaging around 1,400 meters. Coffee trees are planted on gently sloping forestland. The unique terrain of South Minas creates two distinct seasons—rainy seasons with abundant rainfall and dry winters—which is very beneficial for coffee fruit development and quality.

Due to significant local investment in human resources for coffee production, extensive infrastructure construction, and research investment, many coffee exporters have established their large plantations in South Minas, with all coffee output produced through commercial methods.

São Paulo

São Paulo state is located in southeastern Brazil. Most of Brazil's high-quality coffee comes from large plantations in the São Paulo and Minas Gerais regions. The climate here is more humid and mild, not as dry as the northern regions, eliminating the need for additional irrigation systems for coffee. Additionally, it hosts Brazil's largest and most historic port, Santos, which is also the world's largest coffee export port. When we see green coffee bean bags exported overseas from here, they all bear the "SANTOS" seal.

São Paulo has two main coffee growing areas: Centro-Oeste (Central-West) and Mogiana. FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Queen Estate coffee comes from Mogiana.

Mogiana, near South Minas, has coffee mostly planted among shrubs, grasslands, and vegetation at a growing altitude of 1,400m, making it one of the few high-altitude areas in Brazil. The local fertile red volcanic soil allows coffee cherries to absorb abundant nutrients and develop full aromas. Here, some farms maintain traditional operational methods while others have adopted modern, standardized management practices, greatly improving local coffee quality. The Queen Estate (Fazenda Rainha) is managed by José Renato G. Dias, an agricultural engineer specializing in coffee production. The farm covers 280 hectares, with 200 hectares primarily planted with Yellow Bourbon.

Cerrado

The Cerrado growing region is located on the vast Cerrado savanna in central Brazil, where we can see many large plantations with coffee processing facilities on this open, flat terrain. Cerrado is Brazil's first coffee growing region to receive Brazilian Designation of Origin certification, and its quality Brazilian beans give it a pivotal position in Brazil.

Cerrado's coffee trees are planted on mountainous terrain around 1,000 meters elevation. The soil here is rich in minerals, and due to the flat terrain, mechanical harvesting is common, with processing methods mostly being semi-washed. Its unique soil and abundant groundwater are essential ecological conditions for producing high-quality coffee in Cerrado. Cerrado is also Brazil's only growing region with a Designation of Origin certification system, strictly controlling the authenticity of production origin. Once labeled with Cerrado certification, it represents quality-guaranteed coffee.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee has chosen coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado growing region as the representative coffee for Brazil.

Brazilian Coffee Varieties

Currently, Bourbon, Mundo Novo, and Catuai are Brazil's main coffee varieties, with Bourbon having the longest history, derived from a genetic mutation of Typica.

Bourbon

When discussing the Bourbon variety, many have heard about its color variations, such as Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, and Pink Bourbon. The Bourbon variety is a subspecies resulting from a Typica mutation and belongs to the oldest existing coffee varieties along with Typica. When green fruits mature, they present a bright red color. Bourbon grown at high altitudes typically has better aroma and bright acidity. Red Bourbon is perhaps the most common type because, under normal circumstances, coffee cherries gradually mature from green to slightly yellow, then to orange, presenting red when optimal for picking, and finally to overripe dark purple.

Red Bourbon gets its name from the red color of its fruit. The same principle applies to Yellow Bourbon and Pink Bourbon. Yellow Bourbon is generally considered a hybrid of Red Bourbon and other varieties. When Yellow Bourbon matures, the fruit presents yellow. It was first discovered in Brazil, which remains the main country growing Yellow Bourbon. Besides its yellow fruit, Yellow Bourbon also has relatively low yield and is not resistant to wind and rain, so it hasn't been widely cultivated. Pink Bourbon is even rarer, resulting from a hybrid of Red Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon. The reason for its rarity is that the pink color of the fruit is determined by recessive genes, which are easily disrupted, making it difficult to maintain the pink fruit appearance.

FrontStreet Coffee's daily-drinker Brazilian coffee is Red Bourbon, while Brazil Queen coffee is Yellow Bourbon.

Mundo Novo

Mundo Novo is a hybrid of Bourbon and Typica, first appearing in the 1940s and still widely welcomed by Latin American coffee-producing countries today. Its disease resistance and yield are superior to Bourbon and Typica, but at the cost of insufficient flavor complexity.

Catuai

Brazil developed Catuai in the 1950s. It's a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo, with strong disease resistance and high yield. Similar to Caturra, Catuai's mature fruits also naturally divide into red and yellow varieties (I personally prefer the former). Catuai is known for its rich acidity and is a common variety in most Central American countries.

Caturra

In the 1930s, people discovered a genetic mutation of Bourbon near Caturra city in Brazil, thus naming it Caturra. Caturra has very high yield, and its compact plant form facilitates harvesting, but when grown in low-altitude environments, this characteristic becomes its own worst enemy—coffee here becomes quite light, so the weight of the fruit itself can crush the plant. If grown at high altitudes (above 1,200 meters), both the quality and yield of Caturra coffee are more guaranteed. Caturra is a common variety in the Central American coffee belt.

The coffee varieties of FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Huayuenuo and Colombian Rose Valley are Caturra.

Brazilian Coffee Processing Methods

Brazil's green bean processing methods include natural, pulped natural, and washed, with usage based on local climate conditions.

Before 1990, Brazil almost exclusively used crude natural processing methods—dumping coffee cherries onto concrete floors to dry in the sun. This approach easily led to earthy off-flavors and unpleasant over-fermentation, significantly affecting Brazilian coffee quality. In 1990, Brazilian coffee research institutions developed the pulped natural method based on local arid climate characteristics. Before drying the coffee cherries, the pulp and skin are removed, leaving only a thin mucilage layer to dry in the sun for 1-3 days, followed by machine drying to 12% moisture content, then placed in storage containers for maturation. This both shortened processing time and reduced negative flavors from the processing process, greatly improving Brazilian bean quality.

Although the methods may seem similar, without the fermentation step, the coffee bean flavors are completely different. In the pulped natural processing method, during the removal of coffee cherry skin and pulp, ripe pulp is easily removed, while unripe green cherry skins are difficult to process, allowing for a second screening to filter out unripe fruits and standardize cherry ripeness. Compared to natural processing, FrontStreet Coffee believes this selection and processing results in coffee beans with improved cleanliness and ripeness, bringing more consistent tasting coffee.

Brazilian coffee beans also have corresponding standards for flavor and mouthfeel, with various descriptions based on cupping results: Strictly Soft, Soft, Softish, Hard, and Rioy. SC stands for Strictly Soft (very smooth) with the best mouthfeel. Cupping flavors are divided into Fine Cup, Good Cup, Fair Cup, Poor Cup, and Bad Cup, with Fine Cup having the best flavor and highest quality, followed by Good Cup.

For example, on FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian daily-drinker coffee green bean bags, relevant grade information is marked: Country + Defect Grade + Cupping Mouthfeel + Size + Flavor + Region. Brazil NY.2 SC – 17/18 FC Cerrado refers to coffee from Brazil's Cerrado region, size 17-18 screen, SC representing Strictly Soft (very smooth mouthfeel), FC representing Fine Cup (excellent cupping flavor), with a defect grade of NY.2.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Brewing Parameters

To showcase the balanced, rich flavor characteristics of Brazilian coffee, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using drip extraction (pour-over coffee). FrontStreet Coffee's store brewing parameters: Using Kono filter cup, water temperature: 88°C, amount: 15 grams, water ratio: 1:15, grind size: medium-fine grind (75% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve).

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Cerrado coffee flavor characteristics: nuts, caramel, peanuts, smooth, low acidity, chocolate flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Queen coffee flavor characteristics: subtle lemon aroma, rich nutty flavor, distinct dark chocolate notes in the aftertaste, overall relatively round and cleaner than Brazilian Cerrado coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Suggestions

Regardless of coffee variety, to brew a delicious cup of coffee, attention to coffee bean freshness is essential. FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that coffee bean freshness greatly affects coffee flavor, so FrontStreet Coffee ships coffee beans roasted within 5 days. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring every customer receives the freshest coffee upon delivery. The coffee degassing period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at peak flavor.

For friends who need ground coffee, FrontStreet Coffee offers a gentle reminder: if coffee beans are ground in advance, there's no need for degassing, because during transportation, the pressure from carbon dioxide buildup in the packaging also helps round out the coffee flavor, so you can brew and enjoy the coffee grounds immediately upon receipt. However, coffee grounds need to be brewed promptly, as they oxidize quickly when exposed to air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate relatively fast, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better experience the coffee's flavor.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat account: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473