Brazilian Coffee Beans Pour-Over Brewing Guide | How to Make Delicious Brazilian Single-Origin Coffee

Seasoned coffee enthusiasts know that Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer, yet specialty coffee beans from Brazil are relatively uncommon in cafés. This is mainly due to the lower growing elevations in Brazil's coffee regions. Despite this, Brazilian coffee beans hold a significant position in the coffee world. For instance, the Brazil Queen Estate coffee beans have gained recognition from coffee lovers worldwide. Their balanced flavor and rich nutty-cocoa profile represent the most authentic coffee taste, leading many enthusiasts to purchase these beans for home pour-over extraction. However, when first starting out, many are unsure how to properly brew Brazilian coffee beans to extract their distinctive flavors. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will share how to pour-over Brazilian coffee for the best taste.

FrontStreet Coffee will use the Brazil Queen Estate coffee beans, which best represent the Brazilian coffee region's flavor profile, as an example to guide you through the process.

FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen Estate Coffee Beans

Country: Brazil

Region: São Paulo State (Queen Estate)

Altitude: 1400-1950m

Variety: Yellow Bourbon

Processing Method: Pulped Natural / Natural

Flavor Notes: Nuts, cream, peanuts, fermented fruits, cane sugar

Queen Estate

As mentioned above, these coffee beans introduced by FrontStreet Coffee come from Queen Estate in São Paulo State, where the growing altitude reaches 1400-1950m. Additionally, coffee cultivation in this state occurs between bushes, grasslands, and other vegetation, making it highly suitable for quality Arabica coffee bean cultivation.

Queen Estate's capabilities should not be underestimated. According to FrontStreet Coffee, Queen Estate is owned by the renowned Carvalho Dias family. The family's four major estates have won awards every year since the first Brazil Cup of Excellence (COE) competition in 1999, winning more than 12 times in 7 years. In 2004, they even swept the championship, 9th place, 11th place, and more. Many Brazilian estates, large and small, have long hoped to win awards but found it difficult to achieve. Yet this family's estates have consistently taken home multiple awards over the years. For example, Queen Estate Fazenda Rainha also boasts an impressive record: 2nd place in 2000, 3rd place in 2001, and 29th place in 2005. To date, Queen Estate has won awards three times.

Queen Estate Coffee Bean Varieties

This demonstrates the exceptional quality of Brazil Queen Estate coffee beans, which have captured the hearts of coffee lovers worldwide. Additionally, Brazil Queen Estate uses coffee beans of the Yellow Bourbon variety, specific to São Paulo State. This variety is named Yellow Bourbon because the cherries don't turn red when ripe but instead display an orange-yellow color.

Based on FrontStreet Coffee's cupping experience, Yellow Bourbon coffee beans grown in high-altitude regions exhibit excellent flavor characteristics. Furthermore, FrontStreet Coffee understands that Yellow Bourbon coffee beans dominated the top three awards in the Brazil Cup of Excellence competition for two consecutive years, making them a sensation in the specialty coffee world.

How to Perfectly Extract These Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon Coffee Beans with Pour-Over

FrontStreet Coffee believes that brewing a great pot of coffee primarily depends on four aspects: water temperature, grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, and brewing technique.

1. Water Temperature

When pour-over brewing coffee beans with different roast levels, FrontStreet Coffee also selects different water temperatures. During roasting, the substances contained in coffee beans are lost as the roast level deepens. Therefore, to avoid extracting excessive undesirable flavors from dark roast coffee beans, the temperature is reduced. For light to medium roast beans, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using water temperatures of 90-91°C. For medium-dark roast Mandheling coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using water temperatures of 87-89°C.

This Brazil Queen Estate coffee bean primarily features nut and cocoa flavors. To highlight this characteristic, FrontStreet Coffee uses a medium roast. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee controls the brewing water temperature at 87-89°C.

2. Grind Size

Grind size refers to the size of coffee particles, as it affects the contact time between coffee and water. The finer the coffee grounds, the more substances water can extract in the same amount of time. However, with fine grinds, coffee is prone to over-extraction during the brewing process. Conversely, the coarser the coffee grind, the fewer substances water extracts in the same time, but coarser grinds can lead to under-extraction.

Since everyone has different grinders, the parameters vary accordingly. Here, FrontStreet Coffee suggests purchasing a #20 cupping calibration sieve with 0.85mm aperture. We take 10g of coffee beans, adjust to an approximate grind size, grind them into coffee powder, then pour them into the sieve for sifting. Weigh the sifted coffee powder (make sure to sift until no more coffee powder can pass through to complete the sifting process).

A sifting rate of 80% (10g of powder yielding 8g sifted) is the most suitable grind size for light to medium roast coffee beans. A sifting rate of 70%-75% (10g of powder yielding 7-7.5g sifted) is the most suitable for medium-dark roasts. If the sifting rate exceeds the appropriate range, adjust the grind coarser. If the sifting rate doesn't reach the appropriate range, adjust the grind finer.

3. Coffee-to-Water Ratio

This is FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over coffee extraction parameter based on SCAA Golden Cup extraction theory, showing taste differences:

[Rich Flavor] 1:10～1:11 (equivalent to Golden Cup standard 1:12.5～1:13.5)

[Medium Flavor] 1:12～1:13 (equivalent to Golden Cup standard 1:14.5～1:15.5)

[Light Flavor] 1:14～1:16 (equivalent to Golden Cup standard 1:16.5～1:18.5)

A coffee bean-to-water ratio of 1:14.5～1:15.5 most easily achieves the golden range of 18%-22% extraction rate and 1.15%-1.35% concentration.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee suggests using the foolproof 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio when brewing this Brazil Queen Estate coffee bean.

4. Brewing Technique

Finally, the pour-over technique is also crucial. Common techniques include three-stage pouring, single-stream pouring, and drip-by-drip methods. Here, FrontStreet Coffee recommends beginners use the three-stage pouring method to brew, as this technique is suitable for light roast, light-to-medium, and medium roast coffee beans. The segmented extraction of three-stage pouring can clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors, better ensuring the coffee's flavor presentation.

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will share the pour-over process for brewing this Brazil Queen Estate coffee bean!

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: KONO

Coffee Amount: 15g

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Medium grind, 75% pass rate through #20 standard sieve

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Brewing Technique: Segmented extraction

Use 30g of water for bloom for 30 seconds. With a small water flow, pour in circles to 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop pouring. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper (timing starts from bloom). V60 dripper extraction time is 2'00", while KONO dripper extraction time is slightly longer at 2'10".

Brazil Queen Estate Coffee Bean Flavor: Balanced mouthfeel, with almond and cocoa as the main notes, highlighting the sweetness of cane sugar. This is a full-bodied coffee with abundant sweetness.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473