Why do coffee producing regions in Brazil taste so soft?
Brazil is the largest coffee producer, and its Cerrado and Sul de Minas regions yield beans with nutty and chocolate notes. Lower altitude, flat terrain and few microclimates produce softer, less dense beans, which is why Brazilian coffee generally shows low acidity, moderate nuttiness and a full body.
Coffee reached Brazil from French Guiana in the 1720s, spreading from the north to Sao Paulo and Parana, where winter frosts later pushed farmers toward Minas and Bahia. The pulped natural process, compared here through a yellow bourbon from Mogiana and a red bourbon from Cerrado, shapes much of the final cup.
As the world's largest coffee producer, Brazil's two major specialty regions, Cerrado and Sul de Minas, nurture coffee beans with prominent nutty and chocolate notes thanks to their unique terroir. This article systematically reviews the history of coffee cultivation and variety evolution in Brazil, deeply analyzes the originality of the pulped natural processing method, and takes two Brazilian beans sourced by Front Street Coffee—the yellow bourbon from Fazenda Rainha in Mogiana and the red bourbon from Cerrado—as examples to fully present the practical process from green bean analysis, roasting curves, to cupping flavors and brewing parameters, providing coffee lovers with a reference guide that combines both knowledge and operational value.
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The higher the altitude at which coffee trees are grown, the smaller the density and the greater the hardness of the coffee beans produced. In addition, the significant temperature difference between day and night at high altitudes helps the accumulation of flavor compounds. Brazil's overall altitude is low, the terrain is flat, and it lacks diverse microclimates. Combined with the long-standing habit of using natural processing, this creates the characteristic soft-bean mouthfeel of Brazilian coffee. After cupping coffee beans from multiple Brazilian regions, Front Street believes that Brazilian beans generally have low acidity, moderate nuttiness, and carry chocolatey sweetness and a full-bodied mouthfeel.
History of Coffee Cultivation in Brazil
In the 1720s, coffee was introduced to Brazil from French Guiana. At that time, a Portuguese captain named Francisco de Melo Palheta won the affection of the governor's wife in Cayenne, the capital of French Guiana, and thereby successfully brought coffee seeds into Brazil. After that, coffee quickly took root in Brazil, gradually expanding from the north to São Paulo in the southeast and Paraná in the south. Paraná is at a higher latitude, and occasional frosts in winter caused considerable losses to coffee farmers.
Between 1970 and 1980, Brazilian farmers turned to developing the warmer Minas province and Bahia region in northern São Paulo, where the winter climate is mild and frost does not occur. Today, Minas has become one of the core specialty coffee producing regions in Brazil.
Before 1990, the Brazilian government exercised strict control over the coffee industry, with both strong intervention measures and price protection mechanisms. The state long implemented minimum price guarantees for farmers, which resulted in excess coffee production.
After the free market opened in 1990, the original "Brazilian Coffee Institute" (IBC) was replaced by the National Economic Association, a national non-investment administrative agency. This association implemented a non-intervention policy, allowing producers and exporters to trade directly. The business activities of exporters are regulated by government legislation, and legal exporters must register with the relevant authorities. Continuing from three hundred years ago to today, coffee has become Brazil's most important economic pillar, and Brazil remains firmly in first place globally in coffee production.
Coffee Producing Regions in Brazil
The main producing regions of Brazilian coffee beans include: Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Bahia, and Espírito Santo. These four states account for 90% of the country's exports. The common Mogiana comes from São Paulo, while Cerrado and Sul de Minas within Minas Gerais produce more specialty Brazilian coffee beans due to their higher altitudes.
The abundance or shortfall of Brazil's coffee bean output depends on the harvest in Minas; and the harvest in Minas depends on the performance of Sul de Minas, Cerrado, and Mogiana. Brazilian arabica is mainly produced in Sul de Minas in southern Minas and Cerrado in the central area. Arabica produced in Minas accounts for 66.7% of Brazil's total arabica coffee beans.
Sul de Minas At an altitude above 1,100 meters, with rolling foothills, diverse landforms, distinct dry and rainy seasons, large day-night temperature differences, and rich microclimates, it is suitable for cultivating excellent Bourbon and Yellow Bourbon, and naturally becomes a main producing region for specialty coffee.
Regarding the Cerrado region, one must mention the Cerrado savanna, which has one of the most complex species systems in the world. But when it comes to the Cerrado coffee producing region, not all coffee grown on the savanna can be called Cerrado coffee; only areas at altitudes between 1,100 and 1,300 meters may carry the name. This area occupies the essence of the Cerrado savanna, with high altitude and fertile soil. Front Street believes that the coffee beans produced in this region are clean and sweet, high in body, and free of earthy flavors.
Mogiana This region is very close to southern Minas. Coffee trees are planted among shrubs, grasses, and other vegetation. Many farming families are distributed in this area, some using traditional large-farm operating models, and others using small-scale modern operations. The integration of modern technology with mountain coffee cultivation culture has produced the highest-quality green coffee beans. Through cupping, Front Street found that the coffee beans produced in this region have a clean sweetness like sugarcane.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Brazilian Coffee
Brazil's coffee bean consumption maintains an annual growth rate of about 5%. Per capita coffee consumption has surpassed that of the United States, making it the world's largest coffee-consuming country. Its production ranks first globally, and once the country's coffee production is affected, it will directly trigger fluctuations in the global coffee market.
According to the latest news from Coffee Financial Network, Bloomberg reported that Brazil's domestic coffee warehouses are almost full of coffee beans, and historically there has never even been such an overloaded operating state. Trucks full of coffee beans from producing regions need to line up for several days at warehouse doors before unloading. Because current spot prices are relatively high, coffee farmers have already sold a large amount of this year's coffee production (estimated at 60%, higher than the 40%-plus of previous years). On the other hand, due to reduced demand and blocked supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of coffee beans are piling up in warehouses. A local Brazilian agricultural consulting company said that unloading requires waiting 6-7 days. Coffee beans transported to cooperatives in southern Minas Gerais have begun to be placed in silos outside warehouses to meet demand. Because the waiting time is too long, truck drivers need to charge double when transporting coffee beans.
Coffee Varieties Cultivated in Brazil
Brazil currently mainly cultivates Red Bourbon, Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo, and Catuai.
Bourbon: Coffee was first planted on Réunion Island, which was also called Île Bourbon before 1789. Bourbon is a sub-variety produced by a mutation of Typica and, together with Typica, belongs to the oldest existing coffee varieties. The green fruit turns bright red when ripe. For Red Bourbon, after the coffee tree flowers and bears fruit, the color change of the coffee cherry is generally: green > slightly yellow > slightly orange > ripe red > then darker red when more mature. Therefore some people also call it [Red Bourbon], but in fact Red Bourbon is what we generally call Bourbon. Bourbon planted at high altitude usually has better aroma, while its acidity is brighter, and it can even taste somewhat like red wine. To put it more plainly, Bourbon is a coffee tree species belonging to a branch of the arabica species. It generally bears red fruit, called Red Bourbon. Besides that, there are also Yellow Bourbon and Orange Bourbon. Yellow Bourbon has relatively lower yield, but better quality.
Mundo Novo: It is the result of natural hybridization between Bourbon and Typica, first discovered in 1943 in Tietê, São Paulo, Brazil. Mundo Novo was initially planted in the city of Novo Mundo, which is now Urupês.
Catuai: A coffee variety artificially hybridized from Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai inherits Caturra's short stature, does not require shade, is easy to grow, and convenient to harvest. It also has better resistance to natural disasters than Mundo Novo. In terms of flavor, it has good acidity. Catuai generally appears in two types: red fruit and yellow fruit.
Brazil's Original Pulped Natural Coffee Processing Method
Before 1990, Brazil almost entirely used rough natural processing, which made Brazilian beans prone to acquiring a rotten-wood or earthy taste, because the coffee cherries had to undergo two to three weeks of sun exposure, and if it rained and moisture returned, musty odors easily developed. In order to change this situation of relying entirely on the weather, in 1990 Brazil, responding to its relatively dry climate, developed the pulped natural method to shorten processing time.
Pulped natural removes the skin and pulp of the coffee cherry and can control the fermentation degree of the mucilage-covered coffee beans after pulping. Traditional natural processing dries the beans with skin and pulp, making it impossible to see the fermentation degree of the mucilage. The pulped natural method lies between natural and washed processing, but it omits the washed process of "tank fermentation and rinsing with clean water" and instead directly puts the beans in the sun to dry. Although the method seems similar, without the fermentation step the flavor of the coffee beans is completely different. In the pulped natural process, during the removal of coffee skin and pulp, fully ripe pulp is easy to remove, while the skin of immature green cherries is not easy to remove, so a second screening can be carried out to filter out immature fruit and unify the ripeness of the coffee cherries. Compared with the natural method, Front Street believes that coffee beans selected and processed in this way will have improved cleanliness and ripeness, bringing coffee with a more uniform mouthfeel.
The introduction of the pulped natural method does not mean that all Brazilian producing regions use it. Cerrado, with lower humidity, still mainly uses natural processing, and pulped natural is instead a supporting method in Cerrado. However, the red bourbon from the Cerrado region sourced by Front Street Coffee is processed using the pulped natural method.
Brazilian Coffee Bean Grading System
Usually we see information like this on bags of Brazilian coffee beans: Brazil NY.2 SC – 17/18 FC. This is Brazil's unique three-part grading method, which other countries do not use. The reason is that the producing area is too large and bean output too great. In order to formulate coffee flavors specifically for export, these coffee beans are often blended, and therefore situations of inconsistent quality arise, requiring "cupping" for grading. In this way, consumers only need to see the green bean information to roughly know the coffee's quality.
1. Grading by Defect Rate
Brazilian coffee uses a "deduction method" for evaluation, grading according to how many defective beans are present in each 300 grams of primary beans. There are seven levels from No.2 to No.8. A deduction below 4 can be classified as No.2. Of course, having not a single defective bean can be called No.1, but this situation is rare and cannot maintain a stable supply, so Brazil sets No.2 as the highest grade rather than No.1.
2. Grading by Screen Size
Screen size: This is screened using screens based on 1/64 inch, and screen sizes are usually 14-20. It should also be explained that the size corresponding to the screen number is the short side, that is, the "width," of the coffee bean. In Brazilian coffee beans, the largest screen size is 19, but the output is not large, so 17/18 screen is the highest grade.
3. Cupping Quality
fine cup | fine | good cup | fair cup | poor cup | bad cup | FC (Fine Cup) and GC (Good Cup) are relatively common. Many companies or platforms also add processing method (natural/washed/honey) and estate information.
4. Flavor Grade
Brazilian coffee beans are classified into five major categories according to flavor grade. They are: Strictly Soft → very smooth, Soft → smooth, Softish → slightly smooth, Hardish → not pleasant to drink, Rioy → medicinal/iodine taste. Brazil-Cerrado coffee beans were cupped by the local coffee association as Strictly Soft Fine Cup, which is the best grade. In summary, Brazil NY.2SC – 17/18 FC Cerrado means country Brazil, defect grade 2, green bean screen size 17-18, fine cup quality, produced in Cerrado. This is also the Brazilian component bean in the Front Street espresso blend that Front Street Coffee has always used.
Next, Front Street will use the two Front Street Brazilian coffee beans currently on the shelves, the yellow bourbon from Fazenda Rainha in Mogiana and the red bourbon from Cerrado, to conduct green bean analysis as well as roasting, cupping, and brewing comparisons.
Front Street Coffee Green Bean Analysis
Brazilian coffee generally grows at altitudes of 1,000-1,300 meters. Front Street Coffee notes that its density is relatively low, moisture content moderate, bean texture relatively soft, and the thickness from bean surface to bean core relatively thin, so it is not suitable for roasting at too high a temperature, as this would produce burnt bitterness. We adopt the method of charging the beans at medium heat, maintaining heat through the dehydration stage, and making fine adjustments as the temperature rises after first crack begins, promoting a more complete caramelization reaction. This Front Street Brazilian semi-washed coffee bean rises slowly in temperature after first crack and can be discharged near second crack.
Front Street Coffee Roasting Insights
Front Street Brazil Fazenda Rainha Yellow Bourbon roasting suggestion: Yangjia 800N, charge amount 550g: preheat to 200°C and charge, adjust heat to 150, open airflow to 3, turning point at 1'30", maintain heat, turn yellow at 5'10", grassy smell disappears, enter dehydration stage, lower heat to 125, open airflow to 3.5. At 8'20" dehydration is complete, bean surface shows wrinkles and dark spots, toasted bread aroma turns to coffee aroma, this is the prelude to first crack. At 178°C lower heat to 80. At this time pay attention to listen for the sound of first crack. At 9'14" first crack begins, open airflow fully to 5. Post-first-crack development time 3'00", discharge at 201°C.
Front Street Brazil Red Bourbon roasting suggestion: Yangjia 800N, charge amount 550g. Preheat furnace to 200°C and charge, adjust heat to 160, open airflow to 3, turning point at 1'30", maintain heat, turn yellow at 5'00", grassy smell disappears, enter dehydration stage, lower heat to 130, open airflow to 4. At 168°C lower heat again to 100. At 8'00" dehydration is complete, bean surface shows wrinkles and dark spots, toasted bread aroma turns to coffee aroma, this is the prelude to first crack. At this time pay attention to listen for the sound of first crack. At 8'50" first crack begins, open airflow fully to 5. Post-first-crack development time 3 minutes 10 seconds. At 190°C lower heat to 50, at 194°C lower again to 30, discharge at about 200°C.
Front Street Coffee Cupping Report
Front Street Coffee conducts cupping within 8-24 hours after the sample coffee beans are roasted. The cupping bowls generally used by Front Street Coffee roasters are 200ml ceramic bowls, marked with 150ml and 200ml scale lines. According to SCAA standards, the TDS of water is about 150ppm. Too low TDS easily causes over-extraction, while too high TDS affects mouthfeel and easily causes under-extraction. The water temperature used for cupping is 94°C. According to SCAA cupping standards, the grinding degree is controlled so that the pass rate through a No. 20 standard sieve (0.85 mm) is 70%-75%. Ratio: 11 grams of coffee powder plus 200 milliliters of hot water, that is 1:18.18, so that the extracted concentration falls exactly within the golden cup range of 1.15%-1.35%. Steeping time: 4 minutes.
Front Street Brazil Fazenda Rainha Cupping
Dry aroma: roasted nuts, cinnamon
Wet aroma: roasted nuts, peanut
Flavor: roasted nuts, peanut butter, fermented fruit, sugarcane sweetness
Front Street Brazil Red Bourbon Cupping
Dry aroma: roasted hazelnut, caramel
Wet aroma: nuts, chocolate
Flavor: nuts, peanut, cream, chocolate, caramel
Front Street Coffee Brewing Insights
Brewing parameters: use Kono dripper
Water temperature: 88°C
Coffee dose: 15 grams
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Grind size: medium-fine (70-75% pass rate through Chinese standard No. 20 sieve)
Front Street Coffee uses staged extraction, also called three-stage brewing: use 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour in a small stream in circles until 125 grams for the stage break. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225 grams and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Start timing from the beginning of the bloom.) Extraction time is 2'05"-2'15". Front Street Brazil Fazenda Rainha coffee brewing flavor: fresh sweetness of sugarcane juice, black tea, soft and smooth fruit sweetness, obvious nutty flavor, balanced and smooth acidity, very weak and clean bitterness, rich chocolate aroma and nutty flavor, bright and refreshing mouthfeel, silky and delicate texture.
Front Street Brazil Red Bourbon brewing flavor: obvious sweetness on entry, with a light lemon aroma, rich nutty flavor, and a pronounced dark chocolate note in the finish; the overall impression is relatively round.
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
