Where are the main coffee growing regions in Brazil and how does Brazil's climate affect coffee?

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Introduction to FrontStreet Coffee's Brazil Divine Wood Estate Coffee

Brazilian coffee is planted mostly at only a few hundred meters of altitude, and often on flat ground. This sun-exposed style of cultivation lets the cherries grow faster, so their flavors develop less fully. The density of the bean, also called its hardness, is not on par with high-altitude beans. Fruit acidity is markedly lower and the flavor is monotone. Coastal Rio coffee even carries iodine and salty notes, thought to be the work of certain microorganisms. Even on the same soil, though, this flavor does not necessarily show up every year. Most coffee lovers do not care for it, and it is mainly a few Middle Eastern countries, with their habit of boiling coffee with sugar, that suit the flavor of Rio coffee.

Among Brazil's states, seven account for the highest production, making up 98% of the country's total output.

• São Paulo State (Mogiana, Centro-Oeste)
• Paraná State (Norte Pionerio do Paraná)
• Bahia State (Planalto da Bahia, Cerrado da Bahia, Atlântico Baiano)
• Espírito Santo State (Montanhas do Espírito Santo, Conilon Capixaba)
• Minas Gerais State (Sul de Minas, Cerrado Mineiro, Chapada de Minas, Matas de Minas)
• Rondônia State (Rondônia)
• Rio de Janeiro State (Rio de Janeiro)

Producing Regions

Brazil's main producing regions include Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Bahia, and Espírito Santo, which together account for 90% of the country's exports. The well-known Santos and Mogiana come from São Paulo. Cerrado and Sul de Minas in Minas Gerais, thanks to their higher altitudes, mostly produce premium Brazilian beans. Cerrado lies in the western part of Minas Gerais, a flat plateau at 750m-1,200m.

Sul de Minas is hilly land at 700m-1,200m and is Brazil's earliest coffee-producing area. With labor costs rising, most coffee is now mechanically harvested, which also makes it the earliest region to commercialize coffee. Many large exporters are based there. The Bahia region in northern Brazil mainly produces washed Brazilian coffee, while the Espírito Santo region near the coast is the main export area for Brazil's Robusta varieties.

Mogiana

Mogiana sits very close to the southern part of Minas. Coffee grows among shrubs, grassland, and other vegetation. The area is home to many farming families, some running traditional large-scale farms and others modern small operations. Modern technology combined with the mountain coffee-growing culture has produced the highest-quality green beans.

Brazil COE Third Place Estate - Santa Téa/Divine Wood Estate 100% Yellow Bourbon Pulped Natural

• Country: Brazil
• Region: Botelhos, Sul de Minas Gerais
• Estate: Fazenda Sertãozinho
• Producer: José Renato Gonçalves Dias
• Processing Method: Pulped Natural
• Variety: 100% Yellow Bourbon
• Altitude: 1,200 meters

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the Yellow Bourbon behind that Cup of Excellence lot caught your eye, FrontStreet's Brazil Queen Estate coffee is the closest match in the shop. It comes from Mogiana, close to Sul de Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil feeds the cherries. Its Yellow Bourbon variety, a natural mutation of Red Bourbon, gives a cleaner fruit character, and the cup shows the sugarcane-like sweetness that sets this region apart, along with fruit and chocolate notes. It works in pour-over, a moka pot, or a home espresso machine.

For a classic, affordable Brazilian staple, FrontStreet's Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon is a solid everyday choice. A Red Bourbon from the well-known Cerrado region, roasted medium, it brings creamy peanut, toasted bread, caramel, and hazelnut aromas, with a rounded body, no sharp acidity, and a light bitterness. Brazil's low-acid, balanced, friendly character also underpins FrontStreet's espresso blends, where Brazilian beans supply chocolate and cream aromas along with a soft acidity that keeps extraction stable.