The story
Coffee reached Brazil early in the 18th century, according to the importer Cafe Imports. It spread fast. By 1820 Brazil grew about 30 percent of the world's coffee, and by 1920 that share had reached about 80 percent. That figure has fallen since then as other countries planted more, but Brazil is still one of the largest coffee producers in the world.
Most of the crop comes from the south-east. Minas Gerais, a large inland state, grows around 24 million 60 kg bags a year, nearly half of Brazil's total, according to the commodities firm StoneX. Inside Minas Gerais there are several well-known regions. The Cerrado Mineiro is a high, flat plateau with farms at roughly 800 to 1,200 metres. Sul de Minas, in the south of the state, sits at about 800 to 1,400 metres. The Mantiqueira de Minas, a hilly part of the south, reaches 1,000 to 1,400 metres, with warm days and cold nights.
Other states matter too. Espírito Santo, on the coast, is the second-largest coffee state. Bahia, further north, only started growing coffee in the 1970s, and its Chapada Diamantina area has become known for specialty lots. Coffee Review notes that Brazilian production has been moving north for a couple of decades, onto irrigated savannah closer to the equator.
Brazil is also home to several varieties grown around the world. Mundo Novo was found in São Paulo state in 1943, as a natural cross of two older types, Bourbon and Typica. Catuaí was bred by the Instituto Agronômico in Campinas from Caturra and Mundo Novo, and released in 1972. Both are common on Brazilian farms, alongside Bourbon (including Yellow Bourbon), Caturra and Catimor.
How it's processed
A coffee bean is the seed of a small red or yellow fruit, called a cherry. After picking, farmers have to remove the fruit and dry the seed, and the way they do it changes the flavour.
On flat land like the Cerrado, many farms harvest by machine. Mechanical pickers drive along the rows and shake the trees so the ripe cherries fall. Elsewhere, cherries are stripped from the branches by hand.
The classic Brazilian method is natural processing: the whole cherry is dried, either on large patios in the sun or partly on the tree before picking. The fruit is removed only once it has dried.
Brazil is also known for pulped natural. Here the skin is taken off the cherry, but the sticky fruit layer underneath, called mucilage, is left on the bean while it dries. Elsewhere this is usually called a honey process, so on The Bean Registry pulped natural coffees are filed under honey.
Some farms also make washed coffees, where all the fruit is scrubbed off before drying. Coffee Review notes that large Brazilian farms may run all three methods at once during the harvest, and that Brazil was early to experiment with several methods side by side.
The main harvest runs from about April to September. Espírito Santo is later, from October to December.
What it tastes like
Brazilian coffee tends to be sweet and smooth rather than sharp. Importers and reviewers often describe it as chocolatey and nutty, with low or soft acidity. Coffee Review mentions notes of nuts and aromatic wood, with a little low-toned fruit such as peach, raisin or apricot.
The processing plays a big part. Cafe Imports says natural and pulped natural coffees from Brazil tend to have a nutty creaminess and a softer fruit tone than the brighter washed coffees from Central America.
Regions differ too. Coffees from Sul de Minas are often described as sweet with higher acidity. Chapada Diamantina coffees are described as full-bodied, velvety and sweet with citrus-like acidity. Mantiqueira de Minas is said to produce sweeter, more aromatic coffee, which StoneX links to its slow-ripening cherries.
Because many Brazilian coffees are mellow and full-bodied, they are often used in espresso blends. Lighter roasts can show more delicate floral and peach notes. As with any origin, the farm, the variety, the processing and the roast all shape what ends up in the cup, so the tasting notes on each coffee are the best guide.