Major Coffee Growing Regions Worldwide and Introduction to Flavor Characteristics of South American Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to South American Coffee Flavours: One of the World's Three Major Coffee Regions

Coffee is the most aromatic food we know. Scientists have found that coffee beans contain more than 1,200 different aromas, and even after setting aside the harsh acidity, astringency, burnt bitterness and chemical or medicinal notes caused by under- or over-roasting, there are still 600 to 800 flavours left. Grouped by continent, coffee flavours fall into three great regions: the Americas, Asia and Africa.

Asian growing regions are mostly found in Southeast Asian countries. Their soils tend to produce herbal medicine notes such as licorice lozenges and guilinggao, the herbal jelly, often accompanied by a very pleasant sweetness. They readily develop honey and caramel aromas with a notably long aftertaste.

American growing regions are mostly in Central and South America, and they offer flavours we already know well, such as nuts, peanuts and chocolate. Because these tastes are so familiar from daily life, drinkers often recognise them easily in a cafe cup.

African growing regions account for a comparatively small share of total production, but they shine with floral notes of rose, flower tea and jasmine, alongside fruit aromas of strawberry, blueberry, orange and lemon peel. A strongly washed coffee can reveal pronounced rose aromas, while a more lightly washed coffee tends to show flower tea and jasmine.

South America brings together the world's first and third largest coffee-producing countries, and it holds a major position in both global output and quality. South American coffee flavours are well balanced, which is why they are so often used in blends.

Brazil

Well-known coffee: Santos

Since the mid-19th century Brazil has been the world's largest coffee-producing country, ranking first in output and accounting for roughly one third of global production. Brazilian beans have a neutral character: pleasant enough as a single origin, if a little monotone, and indispensable in blends, where they round out a cup and hold the other components together.

Colombia

Well-known coffee: Colombia

Colombia is the world's third largest coffee-exporting country, accounting for about 15% of global production. Colombian beans are of excellent quality, with rich and distinctive aromas, sweetness balanced against acidity and a moderate bitterness, making them highly suitable for both single-origin drinking and blending.

Key point: coffees from different growing regions each have their own flavour characteristics, yet coffees from the same major growing region share certain commonalities.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Brazil is where South America's signature style is easiest to appreciate, and FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian staples show exactly why the country is the backbone of so many blends. The FrontStreet Cerrado Red Bourbon, a semi-natural, medium-roasted single origin, brings creamy peanut, toast, caramel and hazelnut aromas with a rounded body, low acidity and a light bitter finish; it works as pour-over but is just as happy in a moka pot, an espresso SOE, a siphon or a French press.

For something a little sweeter, the FrontStreet Queen Estate from Mogiana is a rare Yellow Bourbon grown on the region's fertile red volcanic soil, offering a sugarcane-like clarity alongside fruit and chocolate notes on top of the region's familiar nuttiness. If you want Brazil in an espresso, the FrontStreet blend range, including the nutty Classic, the rounded Premium and FrontStreet Coffee's Black Cocoa Blend used by many baristas, all rely on Brazilian beans for their chocolate and cream aromas, their soft sweet-sour-bitter balance and, above all, their stability in the basket.