Coffee culture

Understanding the Characteristics of Brazilian Coffee Beans: What Makes Brazilian Coffee Special?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee introduces - Brazilian Coffee Characteristics: Brazilian coffee is predominantly Arabica, accounting for about 80% of total production, with the remaining 20% being Robusta varieties. According to the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association's official website, they cultivate as many as 28 varieties, with Bourbon (including Yellow Bourbon) being the primary cultivation variety.

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

FrontStreet Coffee Introduction - Brazilian Coffee Characteristics

Brazilian coffee is predominantly Arabica, accounting for approximately 80% of the total production, with the remaining 20% being Robusta varieties. According to the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association's official website, there are as many as 28 cultivated varieties, with the main plantings being Bourbon (including Yellow Bourbon, Red Bourbon, and Santos flat bean), Mundo Novo, Catuai, Typica, and Catimor.

Production System

The coffee cultivation area covers 2.25 million square kilometers across approximately 290,000 coffee farms. Brazil's production is primarily estate-based, with farm sizes ranging from 0.5 to 10,000 square kilometers, predominantly consisting of small estates.

Coffee Harvest Season

Harvest period: April to December; Arrival period: October to March.

Coffee Processing

The most common four processing methods for Brazilian coffee are: natural sun-drying method, pulped natural (honey processing), semi-dry, semi-washed, and washed methods, with natural sun-drying being the most widely used.

For information about Brazilian coffee processing and grading, please refer to: [Coffee Origin Map] South America Chapter: Introduction to Brazilian Green Bean Processing Methods and Grading System.

Coffee Grading

Brazilian coffee grading is relatively complex, based on size, defect scores, and flavor (cupping) quality.

Coffee Production

In recent years, coffee production has ranged between 50-65 million bags, maintaining the world's top position. The following table shows Brazil's coffee production over the past 10 years, with the 2018/19 season reaching a record high of 63.4 million bags.

Appearance and Flavor

Due to the vast size of Brazil's territory, you'll find different coffee flavors even within the same state. However, generally speaking, Brazilian coffee is characterized by high sweetness, clean taste, smooth texture, low acidity, nutty flavors, good balance, and moderate body.

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