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Introduction to Brazilian Coffee Bean Flavor and Profile Characteristics of Yellow Bourbon Variety from Queen Coffee Farm

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, As the world's largest coffee producer, Brazil supplies both commercial and specialty beans to the global coffee market. Instant coffee is also an important component of Brazil's coffee manufacturing industry. Western coffee is typically grown at altitudes between 2000-3000 feet (approximately 500-1000m). Some varieties reach altitudes of 4000 feet.

Brazilian Coffee: An Overview

Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer, supplying both commercial and specialty beans to the global coffee market. Instant coffee is also an important component of Brazil's coffee processing industry. Brazilian beans grown at low altitudes have relatively low density, characterized by low acidity, high sweetness, and richness. The nutty and chocolatey notes that emerge from dark roasting make Brazilian beans a popular choice for espresso blends. This is why Brazilian coffee is less commonly found as a single-origin offering, but FrontStreet Coffee still offers two Brazilian coffee beans: one is the daily drinker Brazil Cerrado, and the other is the single-origin Brazil Queen's Farm Estate coffee.

Although FrontStreet Coffee has two Brazilian single-origin beans, Brazil is primarily used as a base bean in blends, such as FrontStreet Coffee's basic blend, specialty blend, and commercial blend. When you first smell Brazilian coffee, you'll notice rich aromas of nuts, caramel, and peanuts, with a sweet and balanced flavor profile. No wonder some say: to have good espresso, you need good Brazilian coffee beans.

Brazilian Coffee Growing Environment

We know that coffee has certain high requirements for its growing environment, but for Brazil, the growing conditions seem different from other producing countries. There are no high altitudes or shade trees. Brazilian coffee is generally grown in relatively flat areas. To adapt to local conditions, Brazilian estate owners developed improved Arabica coffee trees decades ago that don't require high altitudes or shade. These can be planted on plains or grasslands, directly exposed to bright sunshine, unlike traditional shade cultivation methods at higher altitudes. Most Brazilian coffee plantations are only a few hundred meters above sea level, and coffee is even grown on flat land without hesitation. This sun-exposed cultivation method allows coffee cherries to grow faster, resulting in less complete flavor development, and the bean density, so-called hardness, is not as good as high-altitude beans. The fruity acidity is significantly lower, the flavor is relatively simple, and coastal Rio coffee even has iodine and salty tastes, which are considered the result of certain microbial actions.

Brazilian Coffee Regions

Coffee was introduced to Brazil from French Guiana in 1727. In 1727, Portuguese diplomat Francisco Palheta was sent to French Guiana to mediate territorial disputes. At that time, Francisco won the affection of the governor's wife, who hid several coffee seeds in flowers she gave him, allowing Francisco to successfully bring coffee seeds into Brazil.

Brazil is vividly compared to the "giant" and "monarch" of the coffee world. There are approximately 39.7 billion coffee trees there, with small farmers now growing 75% of Brazil's total coffee production. The number of people engaged in coffee production in Brazil is 2 to 3 times that of Colombia, which is the world's second-largest coffee producer.

Brazilian coffee beans are concentrated in the central and southern regions, distributed across 7 states with approximately 14 coffee-producing regions: South Minas, Minas Mountain, Chapada de Minas, Matas de Minas, Mogiana, Centro-Oeste de São Paulo, Montanhas do Espírito Santo, Conilon Capixaba, Cerrado, Planalto da Bahia, Atlantic Baiano, Paraná, Rondônia, and Cerrado.

Cerrado Region

The Cerrado coffee region is recognized as one of Brazil's specialty coffee-producing regions. The Cerrado region is located in the southern mountainous area of the "Cerrado grassland climate zone," which spans eight provinces in central Brazil, covering about two million square kilometers. This savanna occupies 22% of Brazil's total area and lies deep in the Brazilian interior. "Cerrado" in Portuguese means "closed-off place." The Cerrado grassland originally extended from Mato Grosso province in southwestern Brazil, through central-west Minas, to the west of Bahia province. The so-called Cerrado Coffee Region refers to the area of the savanna that extends into Minas province at altitudes of 850-1200 meters, distinguished from "South Minas (Sul De Minas)," which is also located in Minas province. The flat and open terrain of the grassland is particularly suitable for establishing large estates, combined with distinct wet and dry seasons and a relatively cool plateau climate.

Of course, not all Cerrado coffee comes from the entire Cerrado savanna, but is limited to coffee-growing areas in the central-west of Minas province at altitudes above 1000 meters. Only these areas can be called the Cerrado coffee region. This area represents the essence of the Cerrado savanna, with high altitudes and fertile soil, capable of producing specialty coffee beans with clear sweetness, high body, and high cleanliness. FrontStreet Coffee believes that coffee from this region has a rich flavor without earthy tastes.

FrontStreet Coffee's daily drinker Brazilian coffee comes from the Cerrado region of Brazil.

Mogiana Region

The renowned Brazilian Queen's Farm Estate is located in the Mogiana region. Mogiana is relatively close to southern Minas, and the coffee beans from this area are of excellent quality. Coffee is grown among shrubs, grasslands, and other plants. The Queen's Farm Estate is situated at a relatively high altitude with very well-preserved environmental conditions. Brazilian Queen's coffee cherries are completely hand-harvested, and they cultivate low-yield, high-quality Bourbon varieties. As a representative estate of Brazil's premium coffee essence, the quality of Queen's Farm Estate coffee beans has received consistent praise. FrontStreet Coffee believes that in addition to terrain and climate, this may also be related to their business model - they adopt both traditional large-scale farming operations and small-scale modern management practices. High-tech planting equipment makes the coffee beans from this region relatively sweet, with a clarity similar to sugarcane.

Queen's Farm Estate Introduction

Queen's Farm Estate (Fazenda Rainha) is located in the Mogiana (Alta Mogiana) region of São Paulo state, north of São Paulo city. This estate is highly renowned in Brazil and is owned by the Carvalho Dias family. The Carvalho Dias family owns four major estates that have won awards every year since the first Brazil Cup of Excellence competition in 1999, winning more than 12 times in 7 years. In 2004, they even swept the championship, 9th place, and 11th place.

Brazil has countless estates of various sizes, many of which have hoped to win awards over the years, but it's difficult to achieve. However, the four estates under this family have won multiple awards year after year, and Queen's Farm Estate (Fazenda Rainha) enjoys a brilliant record: 2nd place in 2000, 3rd place in 2001, and 29th place in 2005. To date, Queen's Farm Estate has won awards three times. Yellow Bourbon beans are inherently sweet and clean. Using natural (or semi-natural) processing methods reduces the acidity slightly while combining well with sweetness, giving them tropical fruit aromas.

Queen's Farm Estate is a member of a medium-scale farm organization in the local Grama Valley, primarily exporting specialty Bourbon varieties. The organization's office is located in nearby Pocos de Caldas, and they also have a national-level cupping laboratory with large warehouses. The organization also collaborates with local universities and other institutions on research, including Lavras University - the renowned Dr. Flavio Borem comes from this university's agricultural research center.

Brazilian Coffee Varieties

Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer and the largest coffee-growing area, with extremely extensive coffee cultivation. Brazil has 17 states producing coffee. At the same time, Brazil grows numerous coffee varieties, currently dominated by Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, and Catuai. Bourbon and Typica both belong to relatively ancient varieties. Brazil primarily grows Bourbon coffee beans. Bourbon coffee was originally cultivated on Réunion Island, which was also called Bourbon Island before 1789. Bourbon is a sub-variety that mutated from Typica and, along with Typica, belongs to the oldest existing coffee varieties. When green fruits ripen, they present a bright red color.

For general Red Bourbon coffee trees, after flowering and fruiting, the color change of coffee cherries follows: green > slightly yellow > slightly orange > mature red > darker red when fully ripe. Therefore, some people call it "Red Bourbon variety." In fact, Red Bourbon is what we generally call the Bourbon variety. To put it simply, Bourbon is a coffee tree variety belonging to a branch of the Arabica species. It generally produces red fruits, called Red Bourbon. In addition, there are Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon. Yellow Bourbon has relatively lower yields but better quality. Red Bourbon is currently the most widely cultivated variety in Brazilian coffee regions.

FrontStreet Coffee's daily drinker Brazilian coffee is the Red Bourbon variety, while the Brazilian Queen's coffee is the Yellow Bourbon variety. Of the Queen's Farm Estate's 280 acres, 200 acres are planted entirely with Yellow Bourbon.

Brazilian Coffee Processing - Semi-Natural Coffee Processing Method

Before 1990, Brazil almost exclusively used crude natural processing methods, which made Brazilian beans susceptible to woody or earthy flavors because the coffee cherries had to undergo two to three weeks of sun exposure. When rain occurred and moisture returned, moldy flavors easily developed. To change this situation of being at the mercy of weather, in 1990 Brazil leveraged its relatively dry climate characteristics and developed the semi-natural (Pulped Natural) processing method to reduce processing time. The semi-natural processing method can reduce the earthy odor and taste of Brazilian beans while enhancing fruity aromas and sweetness, making it most suitable for single-origin coffees. Semi-natural processing has become essential equipment for Brazilian specialty coffee beans.

Of course, the introduction of semi-natural processing doesn't mean all Brazilian regions are using it. The lower-humidity Cerrado region still primarily uses natural processing, where semi-natural processing plays a supporting role. However, the Red Bourbon from the Cerrado region that FrontStreet Coffee sources is processed using the semi-natural method.

Queen's Farm Estate's Depulping Processing System

Queen's Farm Estate uses small-scale refined natural processing, employing African raised beds for sun drying. During the drying process, dedicated staff turn the cherries and check their moisture content to improve coffee bean quality.

Mature cherries are hand-picked into cloth bags to avoid contact with the ground. Coffee cherries harvested on the same day must be sent to the estate's processing facility for semi-natural processing (Pulped Natural) that same day. Using hand-picking and cloth bags for harvested coffee cherries avoids earthy flavors and any improper fermentation. When these harvested cherries arrive at the processing facility, they undergo immediate "washing": the coffee cherries are cleaned, and unqualified or dried fruits (bóia beans) are filtered out based on bean size. The qualified beans continue through the depulping process (using a pulper machine).

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Recommendations

Whether for pour-over or espresso coffee, to brew well, you must use good coffee beans and also maintain them properly. FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that coffee bean freshness is a crucial part of brewing. Coffee beans shipped by FrontStreet Coffee are roasted within 5 days because FrontStreet Coffee deeply understands that coffee bean freshness greatly affects flavor. FrontStreet Coffee's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," ensuring that every customer who places an order receives the freshest coffee when it arrives. The coffee bean resting period is about 4-7 days, so when customers receive their coffee, it's at its peak flavor.

Of course, some customers need FrontStreet Coffee to grind the beans, which is also fine. However, FrontStreet Coffee must remind you: once coffee beans are pre-ground, they don't need further resting because during transportation, the pressure of carbon dioxide in the packaging also helps round out the coffee flavor. So you can immediately brew a cup when you receive the ground coffee. However, ground coffee needs to be brewed promptly because it oxidizes relatively quickly after exposure to air, meaning the coffee flavor will dissipate more quickly, and the coffee won't taste as good. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee recommends purchasing whole beans and grinding fresh before brewing to better experience the coffee's flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Coffee Brewing Parameters:

For darker roasted coffee beans that highlight richness, FrontStreet Coffee chooses to brew with a Kono dripper. The Kono dripper's characteristic is its steeping function, which allows for extracting more coffee substances through immersion, enhancing the rich mouthfeel. Because it has few ribs located at the bottom, it allows the filter paper to fit closely against the dripper to restrict airflow, thereby slowing water flow and increasing water-coffee contact time.

Brewing parameters: Use Kono dripper, 88°C water temperature, 15g coffee dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, medium-fine grind (Chinese standard #20 sieve with 75% pass-through rate)

Using segmented extraction, bloom with twice the coffee dose in water, that is, bloom with 30g water for 30 seconds. When pouring to 125g, segment the pour, continue pouring to 225g then stop. Wait until the water finishes dripping from the dripper, then remove it. Start timing from the beginning of pouring, with an extraction time of 2'00". Next, pick up the entire cup of coffee and shake it well before pouring into cups for tasting.

Semi-natural processed Brazilian Cerrado coffee flavor: Obvious sweetness upon entry, accompanied by a faint lemon aroma, containing rich nutty flavors, with distinct dark chocolate notes in the finish. The overall experience is relatively rounded.

Natural processed Brazilian Queen's Farm Estate coffee flavor: Balanced mouthfeel, with sugarcane sweetness prominent amidst the main notes of almond and cocoa. This is a coffee with good fullness and abundant sweetness.

Conclusion

Brazilian coffee overall has a relatively balanced flavor profile, which is why it's chosen as the base for espresso. Of course, everyone's taste preferences differ. Some people like the floral and fruity acidity of Ethiopian coffee; some prefer the nutty and herbal notes of Indonesian coffee; others enjoy the nutty and dark chocolate flavors of Colombian coffee, and so on. However, FrontStreet Coffee believes these are all worth tasting, as different coffee flavors reflect different coffee cultures!