Meet Your Quota of Brazilian Coffee Beans
With some of the best processing methods including the natural dry method, Brazil is one of the world’s leading coffee producers even though the coffee plant is not native to the country.
Brazilian Coffee Bean Attributes
The majority (80%) of Brazilian coffee is Arabica. Because of the dry roast method, Brazilian coffee beans feature a fruity aroma and sweeter taste. The light to medium roast of Brazilian coffee often features a nutty taste.
The Beginnings of Something Great
The coffee plant is actually not native to Brazil which is hard to believe because the hot and humid climate makes for perfect growing conditions.
In 1727, Brazil’s Emperor was interested in entering the coffee market but had to find a way to bring the coffee plant to Brazil. A trip to France in search of the coffee plant turned out futile; France was not willing to give up their money-making seeds. The Emperor traveled home empty handed.
Later, a bouquet of flowers were sent to the Emperor which also contained shoots and seeds to start growing the coffee plant. Apparently, the Emperor was able to seduce the French Governor’s wife enough to convince her to share the seeds. The small gift launched Brazil’s billion dollar coffee industry.
The Brazilian Quota System
Interestingly, the International Coffee Organization and the Brazilian Institute do Café set quotes for importing and exporting coffees with the expectation that it would protect coffee producers.
Instead, it protected only a limited number of producers in addition to weakening the specialty coffee sector. The high set quotas were hard to achieve. In order to meet the expected volumes, Brazilian coffee producers would blend together the high quality beans with the low quality beans. This trick helped meet the quota system and soon the coffee beans would be named based on their grade: Santos 1, Santos 2, Santos 3 and so on.
Fortunately, in the early 1990’s a new Brazilian government dissolved the quota system. This revolutionized how Brazilian coffee beans were grown, processed, treated and exported.
Suddenly, the selection and variety of Brazilian coffee beans were available to all consumers. The beans are used both for creating blended coffees and on their own.
Growth of Brazilian Coffee Beans
Most coffee farms in Brazil are small: less than ten hectares of land. Only 4% of farms have more than 50 hectares of land. Despite the small run farms, Brazil produces nearly one-quarter of the world’s coffee supply.
Extremely high quality coffee beans from Brazil are due to the high production standards that are carried out by individual coffee bean farmers. Much due diligence and care is taken on the small farms to ensure high grade coffee beans.
Brazilian Dry Roast Method
Because of its near perfect weather conditions, Brazilian coffee beans are often processed using the dry roast method. This is where the bean is first dried within the coffee cherry, transferring fruity flavors into the bean. Though the process is more complicated with longer drying times and risks of fermentation, the fruity aromas, low acidity and light body are well worth the effort.
Brewing Brazilian Coffee Beans
If it is time to taste some high-graded Brazilian coffee beans, some of the most popular varieties include:
Brazil Santos Gourmet Coffee Beans – displays the coffee cherry’s fruity sweetness and makes for a delicious brewed cup of coffee
Brazilian Moreninha Formosa – a limited edition blend featuring well balanced acidity, rich aroma and earthy tastes
Reggae Blend Coffee – an extremely popular blend showcasing Brazil Santos beans and a collection of other Central and South American beans to achieve a mild, light and easy taste
Central American Beneficio Fair Trade – handpicked beans that are pleasantly acidic with a delectable aroma
“Brazilian Coffee Beans”
courtesy of your online coffee bean store;
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