Introduction to Carmo de Minas, Brazil Coffee - How to Brew Brazilian Coffee by Hand?

Carmo de Minas: Brazil's Premium Coffee Region

Year after year in Brazil's Cup of Excellence (COE) competition, coffees from Minas Gerais state typically claim around 70% of the awards. The southern part of that state, Sul de Minas, is particularly outstanding - and within Sul de Minas, the small town of Carmo de Minas performs exceptionally, thanks above all to its natural geography and climate. Calling that environment God's finest gift to the place is no exaggeration.

The Pereira Family: Five Generations of Coffee Excellence

Jacques Pereira Carneiro and Luis Paulo - two cousins of the Pereira family - are the fifth-generation souls of Carmo de Minas coffee, and Luis Paulo serves as president of the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA). The family has grown coffee in Brazil for a century and owns six famous estates, including Fazenda Sertão, Fazenda Santa Lucia, Fazenda Santa Inês, and Fazenda Irmas Pereira.

Carmo de Minas: A Unique Coffee Paradise

Carmo de Minas enjoys beautiful scenery in southern Minas Gerais (Sul de Minas) and a distinctive terrain. The soil is mineral-rich with volcanic rock components, the water quality is outstanding thanks to a variety of natural sparkling mineral springs - there is even a sparkling mineral spring park - and the varied microclimate has made the region one of Brazil's most important sources of specialty beans. It is also the small area that wins the most awards in the annual Cup of Excellence. Carmo de Minas additionally holds its own independent competition each year, "Best of Carmo de Minas" - essentially Brazil's "CoE Top 10 showdown," since nearly all participants are COE-winning estates, many of them Top 10 finishers or even champions. That says everything about the region's standing.

Brewing Parameters Recommended by FrontStreet Coffee

Pour-over: Kono dripper, Fuji R440 grind level 4, water temperature around 88°C

French Press: Recommended grind level 4, water temperature 88°C

Siphon: Recommended grind level 4, water temperature 88°C-89°C

AeroPress: Recommended grind level 4, water temperature 88°C

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

As the world's largest coffee producer, Brazil grows an enormous range of coffees. Brazilian beans bring moderate acidity and a beautiful balance of sweetness, bitterness, and body - ideal for medium roasts that yield a heady nutty aroma, a mellow cup, and a gentle acidity, whether brewed as a single origin or used in blends. Two standouts from FrontStreet:

FrontStreet Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon: the classic choice for a first taste of Brazil. From the well-known Cerrado growing region, this semi-washed (pulped natural) Red Bourbon at a medium roast shows rich notes of creamy peanut, toasted bread, caramel, and hazelnut, with a rounded, non-acidic cup and a light touch of bitterness. It works as pour-over and equally in a moka pot, as espresso SOE, siphon, or French press.

FrontStreet Brazil Fazenda Rainha (Queen Estate) Yellow Bourbon: from the Mogiana region near southern Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil feeds plump, aromatic cherries. The rare Yellow Bourbon - a mutation of Red Bourbon - gives a cleaner fruit character; brewed by pour-over, moka pot, or home espresso machine, it reveals a sugarcane sweetness you will not find in other origins, alongside fruit and chocolate notes.