What are the characteristics of Brazilian coffee?
When people ask "what does Brazilian coffee taste like?", the answer is usually the same, no matter where in the world you ask: nutty, chocolatey and full-bodied, with a sweetness that carries the cup through.
This is related to where and how the coffee is grown. Brazil is the world's largest coffee-producing country, and a large part of the production is grown at moderate altitudes on large, sunny plantations – unlike, for example, Ethiopia's high-altitude, mountainous fields. This results in a more even maturation and a rounder, less acidic cup.
Characteristics: Typical expression in Brazilian coffee
Sweetness: High, often caramel, chocolate or cookie dough
Acidity: Low to moderate
Body/fullness: Medium to full-bodied
Typical notes: Chocolate, caramel, nuts, dried fruit, cashew
Process: Often natural or semi-washed
As we also write in our article on Arabica beans, Brazil is one of the world's major Arabica countries, and here the profile is precisely "chocolate, body and low acidity". This is the same character you will find in our own Brazilian coffees.
Where in Brazil does the coffee come from?
We won't go into detail about Brazil's coffee history in this article; suffice it to say that the country currently accounts for about a third of the world's coffee production, primarily from the state of Minas Gerais. This is where both of our Brazilian coffees come from:
Region: Minas Gerais (Campo Das Vertentes)
Altitude: 900–1,200 m.a.s.l.
Known for: Sweetness, caramel, fruitiness
Region: Sul de Minas
Altitude: 700–1,350 m.a.s.l.
Known for: Chocolate, softness, cashew notes
Brazilian coffee at Copenhagen Coffee Lab
We roast all our beans in our own roastery in Copenhagen, and ship the coffee within 2 weeks of roasting. This also applies to our two Brazilian coffees, which have been chosen because they represent two very different, but equally genuine sides of Brazilian coffee: the classic sweet espresso and the soft, decaffeinated version.
Campo Das Vertentes
Region: Minas Gerais
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Process: Semi-washed
Taste notes: Caramel, cookie dough, redcurrant
Roasted for: Espresso
Caffeine: Yes
Price (1000g): DKK 315.00
Sul de Minas Decaf
Region: Sul de Minas
Variety: Various
Process: CO2 decaffeination
Taste notes: Chocolate, grape, cashew nut
Roasted for: Filter and Espresso
Caffeine: No
Price (1000g): DKK 345.00
Campo Das Vertentes is, as we describe it, "the late arrival to the party everyone wants to talk to"– a sweet, balanced espresso with notes of chocolate and dried fruit, which feels rich without being heavy.
Sul de Minas Decaf is for those who love the soft, chocolatey Brazilian profile, but want to forgo the caffeine. We use CO2 decaffeination precisely because the method preserves the original sweetness and delicate citrus notes, instead of flattening the taste, which decaf can otherwise tend to do.
