Brazil Cerrado Natural 17/18 2023

Brazil Cerrado Green Coffee Beans

Cerrado is a relatively new region for coffee production. Located northwest of Minas Gerais state, Cerrado is a large plateau with a predominant flat to slightly wavy topography. The altitude varies from 900 to 1,250masl.

The well-defined seasons, abundant sunlight throughout the year, advanced farming techniques, and entrepreneurial spirit forged the pillars that sustain Cerrado as we know it today. Cerrado is also one of the most biodiverse and complex regions, and the area is home to roughly 5% of all species on Earth.

Medium- to large-sized farms are located throughout Cerrado’s 55 municipalities, some with a few hundred acres all the way to large estates. The cup profile of Cerrado green coffee offers a medium body with mild acidity, paired with notes of cocoa powder, raisin, and roasted almond in the cup.

Brazilian Coffee Quality

Brazil was the first to establish a formal grading system for classifying coffee beans. Today, a commonly used quality indicator is screen size, where 17/18 means the beans have passed through a sifter with holes that are 17/64-18/64 of an inch wide. Larger-sized beans are often correlated with higher quality, although screen size is not the only indicator of how good the coffee is.

Brazilian Coffee Varieties

Brazil’s most common Arabica varieties are Bourbon, Caturra, Catuaí, Mundo Novo, and Acaiá. In this coffee, you’ll mostly find Mundo Novo and Red and Yellow Catuaí, with some Catucai. Many new coffee varieties that grow in Brazil are the results of the Instituto Agronômico’s (IAC) exploration of rust-resistant and high-yield variety alternatives.

Natural Process Green Coffee

It’s always sunny in Cerrado. With its ample sunlight, Brazil is able to take a different approach to natural process coffee. They allow cherries to dry while they’re still on the tree instead of picking the cherries at peak ripeness and drying the fruits on raised beds and patios like in other origin countries.

In Brazil, the natural process means using as little intervention as possible and only harvesting when cherries are thoroughly dried on the tree. That extra time allows sugars and flavors to concentrate with minimal fermentation, which results in an intense cup of rich sweetness and medium body.

Brazil Unroasted Coffee Beans

It’s hard to summarize an origin country like Brazil and its vast role in coffee’s past, present, and future. It’s a huge country with staggering coffee exports — over 33% percent of the world’s coffee supply comes out of Brazil — and that doesn’t include the coffee they keep to drink themselves. Since the 1800s, Brazilian coffee has dominated the coffee trade. Brazil has been a top producer of Arabica and Robusta, with an immense range of flavor profiles and processing methods. Read more in the Brazil Green Coffee Origin Report.