Similarities and Differences Between Colombian and Brazilian Coffee - Flavor Characteristics and Taste of Medium-Dark Roast Brazil and Colombia Coffee Beans

Introduction to South American Coffee at FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee's bean list features coffee from Central and South America, primarily from Colombia and Brazil. In addition to these two major producing regions, there are also famous coffee-producing areas such as Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. However, FrontStreet Coffee believes that Brazilian and Colombian coffee beans currently best represent the traditional South American coffee flavor profile. Coffee enthusiasts looking to try other South American coffee beans can look forward to FrontStreet Coffee's continuous updates in the future!

Common Characteristics of Brazilian and Colombian Coffee

Regarding the similarities between Brazilian and Colombian coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee believes it's best to discuss them from two aspects: flavor and history. In terms of flavor, Brazilian and Colombian coffees are often used domestically and internationally for espresso blends. Even as single-origin coffees, traditional Brazilian and Colombian coffees are typically roasted to a medium degree. This relates to the flavor characteristics of Brazilian and Colombian coffee: low acidity, rich body, prominent nutty notes, high body, and caramel-like sweetness. Deeper roasting better showcases the characteristics of coffees from these two countries.

FrontStreet Coffee's premium blend uses Brazilian coffee combined with Colombian coffee, roasted to a medium-dark degree, creating an overall rich, nutty flavor without being overly stimulating. It pairs perfectly with milk, delivering a smooth, full-bodied experience. Of course, for single-origin coffees, FrontStreet Coffee typically uses medium-light roasting for most Colombian coffees, as different coffee beans have distinct characteristics. For example, Colombia's San José coffee is medium-light roasted to highlight its rum barrel fermentation notes while better preserving its aromatic compounds, giving this bean its unique character.

Historical Origins of Brazilian and Colombian Coffee

In terms of coffee origins, the development paths of Brazilian and Colombian coffee varieties are essentially the same. First, regarding the path: coffee varieties traveled from France to Spain, crossing the North Atlantic to reach Brazil and Colombia respectively. Brazil's coffee varieties arrived from what was then the French colony, now French Guiana. From there, they continued to expand and develop southward. According to records in specialty coffee literature, the beginning of Brazil's coffee industry is connected to King Louis XV's love for coffee. To expand the coffee industry, he sent dedicated personnel overseas to cultivate coffee. The book records that to ensure coffee could successfully reach the French colony, the patriotic officer Lieutenant de Clieu stole a mother coffee tree from the Royal Botanical Garden in Paris. For this, he employed a "beauty trap," having a well-proportioned beauty seduce the curator in charge of the coffee genus. Finally, the coffee tree arrived in the French Caribbean island of Martinique in 1723.

Of course, whether this story aligns with historical facts cannot be verified. Some scholars believe that in 1727, Major Francisco de Melo Palheta was sent to resolve a land dispute between French Guiana and Dutch Guiana. His mission upon arriving in Cayenne was to smuggle the coveted, well-protected coffee trees. Setting his sights on the governor's wife of Cayenne, Madame d'Orvilliers, he devised a plan. At a farewell banquet before his departure, his charm was rewarded when she handed him a bouquet containing seedlings that would become the progenitors of Brazil's coffee industry.

In reality, compared to Brazil, Colombia has superior coffee growing conditions. Colombia boasts uniquely favorable natural environments with good mountains, abundant water resources, diverse topography, and numerous volcanic formations. Colombian coffee is said to have been brought to Colombia by Jesuit missionaries who arrived with Spanish settlers in the early 1700s, with the first shipments landing in the country's northeastern region. Soon after, coffee was cultivated by small family farms across the country, becoming a local cash crop. The first commercial coffee export didn't appear until the first decade of the 1800s. The first 100 crude bags of raw coffee beans (approximately 60 kg each) were the first cargo to launch what would become a major industry.

In the mid-1800s, as coffee consumption rapidly grew in the United States, Germany, and France, Colombia's coffee production also expanded quickly.

In the late 1800s, the growing industry experienced a brief decline as the country erupted into civil war (known as the Thousand Days' War). The war and declining international coffee prices forced many plantation owners to divide their farmland among workers, giving locals ownership and autonomy over their farms. It wasn't until 1927 that Colombian coffee growers gathered to create the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), and since then, almost all Colombian coffee has been exported through this organization. The organization is also considered one of the largest rural non-governmental organizations in the world.

Key Differences Between Brazilian and Colombian Coffee

So what are the differences between Brazilian and Colombian coffee beans? FrontStreet Coffee has summarized the following key points: coffee growing environment, flavor profile, and production volume.

Since the 1840s, Brazil has been the largest participant in the international coffee trade. Today, the country produces 40 to 60 million bags annually and is also the world's largest exporter of instant coffee. As the world's largest coffee-producing country, Brazil ranks first in total production, accounting for about 1/3 of global production, with major producing areas concentrated in the central and southern provinces. Brazil produces approximately 25% of the world's coffee supply.

In 2020, Brazil exported 36.8 million bags of coffee beans, exceeding the previous year's record of 35.49 million bags. However, this year, according to Brazilian coffee exporter Cecafe, due to the double impact of drought and frost in Brazil, the 2021 harvest is expected to be poor. As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned at the beginning of this article, Colombian coffee is mainly exported through the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation. Colombia's coffee export volume is significantly smaller than Brazil's, ranking third in the world after Brazil and Vietnam. Its production accounts for about 15% of world coffee production. However, due to excellent natural conditions, it has the highest production of Arabica coffee. But this year, like Brazilian coffee, Colombian coffee has experienced frequent natural disasters. According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, on September 22nd, Colombia's National Disaster Risk Management Department reported that due to heavy rainfall, coffee production has significantly decreased.

Let's look at the growing environments of Brazilian and Colombian coffee. Colombian coffee has a very distinct coffee growing axis, also known as the Coffee Triangle. As can be seen on maps, the coffee-producing areas are clearly surrounded by mountainous plateau regions. This area has been designated by Colombia's Coffee Cultural Landscape (PCC) as a specific region, comprising 47 municipalities and 411 villages, centered around the Andes Mountains in the central and western departments of Caldas, Quindío, Risaralda, and Valle del Cauca. The Sakura coffee on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list comes from Colombia's Cauca department, where the altitude of 2050 meters ensures exceptionally high coffee quality. The double anaerobic washed processing method also makes the entire bean very clean, with prominent berry flavors and a texture reminiscent of strawberry jam.

Colombia's main coffee-producing regions are distributed along three parallel mountain ranges of the Cordillera, running north-south. Coffee is planted along the highlands of these mountain ranges, with unique microclimates, high altitude, and volcanic soil精华 - such innate conditions are very suitable for growing high-quality Arabica coffee. Currently, there are 24,000 small coffee plantations in this region. In contrast, Brazil's growing environment doesn't have as many advantages. Specialty coffee literature describes Brazil's coffee growing environment as monotonous topography, dry climate, poor soil, and low altitude. Coffee cultivation entirely relies on soil improvement, bean variety enhancement, and high technology.

However, from FrontStreet Coffee's perspective, although Brazil's coffee growing areas have relatively flat terrain with most coffee plantations below 1200 meters altitude, this growing environment reduces Brazilian coffee's acidity, making it very suitable for blending with other types of coffee beans. It's generally considered an indispensable coffee bean for blending.

Brazilian coffee is predominantly of the Bourbon variety. This is related to the history of coffee introduction. Of course, Brazil also has Typica coffee varieties. According to legend, this is because the coffee beans stolen by Lieutenant de Clieu were of the Typica variety, which was later widely cultivated in Brazil. FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian selection mainly consists of Bourbon coffee varieties: the Yellow Bourbon from Queen's Manor Farm and the Red Bourbon from Cerrado.

Red Bourbon is the second coffee variety to flourish throughout Central and South America after Typica. According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, Bourbon is also derived from the ancient Typica variety, with round-shaped beans. It was introduced to Brazil in 1927 and subsequently spread to various countries in Central and South America. Although its yield isn't high, compared to the delicate Typica variety, Bourbon has better resistance to leaf rust disease. Bourbon coffee grown at high altitudes has rich and delicate flavors, aromatic fragrance, and smooth acidity. Typically, Bourbon cherries we see transition from green to light yellow, orange-yellow, red, and finally to fully ripe dark red, which is what we refer to as Red Bourbon.

Flavor Comparison: Brewing Experiments

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will separately brew Brazilian and Colombian coffee beans to conduct a comparative experiment on their flavor and taste differences. Using Brazil's Queen's Manor Yellow Bourbon and Colombia's Cauca Castillo as examples, with the same brewing parameters and techniques, how much difference will there be between these two?

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Parameters:

Filter: V60
Water Temperature: 91°C
Water-to-coffee ratio: 1:15
Coffee amount: 15g
Grind size: Fine sugar (80% pass-through rate with China #20 standard sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Technique:

Use 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. When the water level reaches 125g with a small water flow circular pour, perform a segmented pour. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the filter cup. (Timing starts from the bloom) Total extraction time: 2'00".

Flavor Descriptions:

Brazilian Flavor Profile: Distinct nutty flavors leaning toward peanut, high body, long-lasting dark chocolate aftertaste. Slight fruity acidity appears at lower temperatures.

Colombian Flavor Profile: Sakura exhibits mugwort and other spice aromas in the dry fragrance, with prominent berry flavors and a slight fermentation sensation.

Overall, FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Bourbon coffee has a slightly sweet taste with excellent caramel flavors, showing slight acidity at lower temperatures. In comparison, Colombian coffee performs even better. The coffee beans are of excellent quality with rich and unique aromas, sweet with balanced acidity and moderate bitterness - suitable for both single-origin drinking and blending. After roasting, the coffee beans release sweet aromas. When ground and brewed, the coffee is sweet with balanced acidity, and bitter with sweet notes. As long as Colombian coffee is brewed properly with appropriate concentration, it will emit a rich and elegant fragrance. The flavor and texture of Colombian coffee are not as intense as Brazilian coffee, nor as acidic as African coffee - it possesses a subtle, reserved fragrance that other coffees lack.

Colombian and Brazilian beans both rank among the best choices for blending coffees, but Colombian beans offer a sweeter, mellower flavor and richer aroma. In addition to being used for single-origin coffees, they are often used in blends to add sweetness and balance the bitterness of other coffees. For example, one of FrontStreet Coffee's "Premium Espresso Blend Coffee Beans" uses a formula of Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazilian natural process coffee beans (70%) to create an espresso with dark chocolate flavors, caramel sweetness, and full roasting aromas.

Connect with FrontStreet Coffee

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

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