Flavor and Quality Characteristics of Brazil Santos Bourbon Coffee Beans - Features, Grading, and Roast Level Guide

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Brazilian Santos Coffee

Brazilian Santos Coffee

Brazil's most celebrated coffee is the venerable Bourbon Santos, grown on estates in the Cerrado region of Minas Gerais state in southeastern Brazil. The name Santos comes from the port through which the coffee was shipped. Brazilian beans are classified and graded under multiple standards, and the primary one is the export port: the port of Santos ships "Flat Bean Santos" as well as the superior "Bourbon Santos." Bourbon coffee is best enjoyed fresh, since it grows more acidic with age. Once a Bourbon tree begins producing newer growth, the beans get larger and lose some of their flavor - at which point the coffee is sold as "Flat Bean Santos."

Brazilian Santos is a neutral bean: moderate aroma, acidity, and body, with low bitterness, and famous for its smooth taste. It is mild and gently acidic, with a soft, rounded mouthfeel and - smoothness notwithstanding - a surprisingly pleasant finish. That even-keeled, refreshing harmony makes it indispensable in blends, yet it is equally rewarding drunk straight. You could say Brazilian coffee has no flashy strengths and no glaring weaknesses. In the eyes of many connoisseurs, a fine Bourbon Santos can hold its own against Blue Mountain coffee, and its excellent flavor is widely praised.

If Blue Mountain is the king of coffee, then Brazilian Bourbon Santos is the hermit of the coffee kingdom. Those who love Santos tend to think of it as a reserved, deep-thinking friend.

Coffee Specifications

Origin: Brazil

Grade: Good

Bean Size: Relatively full

Acidity: Slightly acidic

Uniformity: Stable

Roast Level: Light to dark

Flavor: Neutral bean, low acidity, smooth and rounded mouthfeel

In Brief

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research house that loves sharing coffee knowledge. We share without reservation for one reason: to help more people fall in love with coffee. Every month we run three low-discount coffee events, because FrontStreet Coffee wants everyone to drink the best coffee at the lowest price. That has been our guiding principle for the past 6 years!

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a classic taste of Brazil, FrontStreet's Cerrado Red Bourbon is a superb everyday choice - a pulped-natural lot with cream, roasted bread, caramel, and hazelnut aromas, a round, low-acid body, and just a whisper of bitterness, equally at home in a pour-over, moka pot, or espresso. If you want something rarer, FrontStreet's Fazenda Rainha (Queen's Farm) Yellow Bourbon from Mogiana offers a cleaner fruit character and a signature sugarcane sweetness you won't find elsewhere.

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