How to Brew Brazilian Santos Coffee | Brazilian Santos Coffee Cupping Grades

Brazilian Coffee Bean Grading System | How Are Brazilian Santos Strictly Soft No. 2 Coffee Beans Named?

Brazil is one of the world's top coffee producers. As the largest coffee-producing region, it accounts for one-third of global coffee consumption with coffee of every grade and type. Although Brazil endures more natural disasters than other regions, its vast plantable area more than makes up for it. The varieties grown here are numerous, but the country's industrial policy prioritizes mass production and affordability, so truly premium lots are relatively rare. They do, however, make excellent blending partners. Among all Brazilian coffees, Santos is the most famous - aromatic, mellow, and neutral - and it can be brewed straight or mixed with other beans in blends, making it a superb choice either way.

Other Brazilian varieties such as Rio and Parana require minimal care and can be mass-produced. Their flavors may be somewhat coarse, but they still offer good value for money. Because production is spread across the whole country with quality varying widely, Brazil has established its own grading standards (graded No. 2 through No. 8 by impurity content, No. 13 through No. 19 by bean size, plus six flavor grades). Almost all its Arabica varieties offer good quality at stable prices, with "Brazil Santos" the most famous - since ancient times an essential component of blended coffees and widely recognized. Recently, the "Tolma Cup" has also earned high praise. From affordable instant coffee to premium estate-grown beans, Brazil offers it all. Constrained by the natural environment, Brazilian coffee grows at lower altitudes than in neighboring countries - roughly 600-1200 meters above sea level - which led the country to develop its own grading system. Note that "Soft" in the name does not refer to bean hardness; it describes a mild, smooth flavor profile.

When buying Brazilian coffee beans, you will typically see a description like: Brazil Santos No. 2, Screen 19, Strictly Soft. That is because Brazilian beans are evaluated through a comprehensive system based on defect ratio, screen size, and cupping. Here is how to read it:

Brazil - Country of origin

Santos - Export port

2 - Grade based on the number of defective beans mixed in, where No. 2 is the highest grade and No. 8 is the minimum specification for export sales.

Screen 19 - Bean size, which Brazil expresses with numbers 12-20, higher numbers meaning larger beans. "19" indicates beans that pass through a 5.4-millimeter screen. This method applies only to flat beans; round beans are graded with special oval-hole screens (8-13).

Strictly Soft - The cupping grade, with "Strictly Soft" representing the highest level.

Here is a simple overview of Brazilian cupping grades, from highest to lowest: Strictly Soft, Soft, Softish, Hard, Riada, Rio, Rio Zona. From Hard down - and every grade below - the coffee is considered commercial grade.

Grade 1: Strictly Soft

Grade 2: Soft

Grade 3: Softish

Grade 4: Hard

Grade 5: Riado

Grade 6: Rio

Brazil maintains such a complex quality grading system mainly because of its enormous growing area and coffee output.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method for Brazilian Santos: [V60 Pour-Over]

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 88°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4

Brewing Method: 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 15g of grounds. First pour 25g of water for a 25-second bloom. Second pour to 120g, then pause. Once the water level in the bed drops to halfway, continue pouring slowly to 225g total. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: The three-stage pour clearly separates the coffee's front, middle, and backend flavors. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing during the pour stretches the extraction time and draws out more of the nutty and chocolate notes in the backend.

Related recommendations: Introduction to the flavor characteristics of Brazilian Santos coffee. Is Brazil's most famous Santos coffee delicious?

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

As the world's largest coffee producer, Brazil grows an immense range of varieties. Brazilian beans carry moderate acidity with an excellent balance of sweetness, bitterness, and body, which makes them ideal for medium roasting: a rush of roasted nut aroma, a mellow texture, and a touch of light acidity - at home as a single origin or in blends.

If you simply want a taste of Brazil, buy FrontStreet Coffee's pulped natural Cerrado, a truly classic Brazilian single origin. Cerrado is a renowned coffee region famous for high-quality beans, and this bean is the Red Bourbon variety common across South America. At medium roast it presents the rich aromas of creamy peanut, toasted bread, caramel, and hazelnut, with a rounded mouthfeel, no acidity, and a faint bittersweet note - great for pour-over, and equally suited to moka pot, espresso SOE, siphon, and French press.

FrontStreet Coffee's other Brazilian single origin, Fazenda Rainha (Queen Estate), comes from Mogiana near southern Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil feeds the cherries and develops their full aroma. Some farms there hold to traditional operations while others have adopted modern standardized management, greatly lifting local coffee quality. The estate grows the rare Yellow Bourbon, a genetic mutation of Red Bourbon with a cleaner fruit character. Through pour-over, moka pot, or home espresso machine, FrontStreet Coffee's Queen Estate coffee offers a sugarcane sweetness no other origin can match, along with fruity and chocolate flavors.

Brazil's low acidity, balanced cup, and approachable price have made it the first choice for many fine espresso formulas. FrontStreet Coffee's crema-rich Classic Blend, the nut-forward Specialty Blend, the balanced Dark Cocoa Blend recommended by many baristas, and FrontStreet Coffee's Commercial Blend built for cafe use all include Brazilian beans. Besides chocolate and cream aromatics, Brazilian beans contribute a gentle sweet-sour-bitter balance, and their even-keeled character supports more stable extraction.