Best Brazilian Coffee Guide (Top Picks, Buying Guide + Tips) (2024)

It’s not hard to find Brazilian coffee. In fact, most of the world’s coffee comes from Brazil! But what do you know about Brazilian coffee? Does the quality keep up with the quantity? How are beans grown and harvested? And most importantly, how do you find and brew amazing Brazilian coffee at home?

Read on for a complete guide to Brazilian coffee, including the state of the coffee industry, what sets Brazil apart from other coffee-producing countries, and the best Brazilian coffee brands to try.

The 5 Best Brazilian Coffee Brands in 2024

IMAGE	PRODUCT	DETAILS
Best Overall Best Overall	Brazilian Bracosta Estate	Medium roast Chocolate, Honey, Almond, Dried Fruits. Ground and whole bean options	CHECK PRICE
Best Blend Best Blend	Low Acid Blend	Medium roast Chocolate, nuts, tangerine notes Ground and whole bean options	CHECK PRICE
Budget Pick Budget Pick	Peet’s Brazilian	Medium roast Fruit, toasted hazelnuts notes Ground and whole bean options	CHECK PRICE
Best Dark Roast Best Dark Roast	Out Of The Grey Brazilian Bourbon Santons Italian	Dark roast Plum, hazelnut, cedar, dark chocolate notes Ground and whole bean options	CHECK PRICE
Best Light Roast Best Light Roast	Anodyne Brazil Fazenda Primavera	Light-medium roast Milk chocolate, nutty, vanilla notes Whole bean	CHECK PRICE

Finding Brazilian coffee is easy. Finding a specialty coffee from Brazil? Not so much. Luckily, our intrepid team of taste-testers was up to the task. Here are five options from the best brands.

The Brazilian Bracosta Estate from Volcanica is our favorite coffee from Brazil this year. Try it for a sweet, full-bodied coffee with low-medium acidity.

This single-origin coffee is sourced from the State of Minas Gerais, which is known to produce some of the most premium Brazilian coffee. Plus, these beans are Rainforest Alliance certified for their sustainable production practices.

This medium roast coffee is available in whole bean and pre-ground packs. You can find Volcanica coffee on Amazon, but it’s better to order directly from Volcanica for freshness. They only roast and grind the beans after you order, and you’ll receive them within a day or two.

You can get a single-origin Brazilian coffee that’ll rock your cup, but this low-acid blend is the answer if you want something more relaxed and mellow.

Once again brought to you by the incredible folks over at Volcanica Coffee Company, this Low Acid Blend has a strong base of Brazilian coffee beans complemented with other high-quality and low-acidity beans from South America and Sumatra.

The blend is medium-roasted after you place your order to ensure that the beans are still at their maximum freshness when they arrive on your doorstep a few days later. It is full of flavor, with notes of chocolate and tangerine, while still being gentle on the stomach.

Home Grounds is something of a fan of Peet’s Coffee. The San Francisco roaster is one of the big players in the US coffee scene but still ensures the beans are respected. Coffee is roasted by hand only after it has been ordered, so you know you’re getting a fresh delivery.

Peet’s is best known for its in-house blends, but the brand sources some quality single origins, like these Brazilian beans. This coffee comes from the Minas Gerais growing region, the largest and best-known in the country.

Peet’s Brazilian coffee is naturally processed, giving these beans a more fruit-forward flavor. There’s also a prominent taste of sweet roasted hazelnuts common to the region. Try it as a French press for richness or as a cold brew if you want to highlight those sweet tastes.

This coffee is available as ground coffee beans, whole beans, or K-Cup pods.

A dark roast is a wonderful way to maximize the full-bodied nature of Brazilian coffee. This dark roasted single origin from Out of the Grey is a robust brew that is low in acid but high in flavor. It showcases the best of Brazilian coffee, with notes of plum, hazelnut, and woody cedar, all backed by rich dark chocolate.

These beans are grown over 3500 feet above sea level, a relatively high elevation for a Brazilian coffee, and it shows in their flavor complexity. They are dry processed, which lends a natural jammy sweetness to the brew.

We definitely recommend brewing this one with an espresso machine, either for a straight shot or a stunning latte.

Finding a premium light-roasted bean from Brazil can be challenging as their sweetness tends to shine with a tad more caramelization. But this light-medium from Anodyne Coffee Roasters is a delicious option for anyone who prefers less of a roasty flavor. It delivers a rich brew with a serious milk chocolate punch rounded out by mellow flavors of raisin, caramel, and graham cracker.

These naturally processed beans are produced on a single estate in the Chapada de Minas region by second-generation coffee farmer Ricardo Tavares. Tavares’s coffee plantation was recently awarded “3rd most sustainable coffee farm in Brazil” thanks to his innovations, like coffee pulp as fertilizer and rainwater recycling.

What to Look for When Buying Brazilian Coffee

The first thing to consider when buying any coffee is flavor, which is influenced by the origin, the varietal, and the roast. It may take some trial and error to discover which beans you enjoy most. Single-origin coffees tend to be more unique and complex in their flavors, whereas blends are balanced and easy-drinking.

Once you know what you want, finding a reliable brand is important – like the five in this list. Look for a company that has direct connections with growers in the region, roasts and grinds to order, and has sustainability initiatives you are proud to support.

Why is Brazil coffee famous today?

Brazil is the largest coffee producer and exporter in the world, thanks to a climate that is ideal for growing coffee. Coffee has a long history in the region. For the last 150 years, Brazil has produced more coffee beans than any other country, delivering a third of global supply to the coffee market (1).

Interestingly, Brazil is also famed as one of the few coffee-producing countries that also engages in significant coffee consumption. It has a lively coffee culture (2).

The government continuously invests in new technologies to increase efficiency and quality on Brazilian coffee farms, putting the country among the most developed nations in coffee production technology and sustainability (3).

Is Brazilian Coffee Good or Overrated?

Brazilian coffee is more recognized for its quantity than its quality. It lacks the high-elevation growing regions of more renowned regions like Ethiopia, so it doesn’t produce the same complex flavor profiles beloved by coffee snobs (4).

But that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. Traditional Brazilian coffee is full-bodied, sweet, and low in acidity.

Most specialty-grade coffee roasters purchase Brazil beans for their blends. They pair well with coffees that have a light body and brighter flavors to achieve a balanced cup or the perfect espresso (5).

Brazil is also the world’s largest exporter of instant coffee. Between 10-20% of coffee exported by Brazil is instant coffee, which is usually made from lower-quality coffee beans.

What Does Brazilian Coffee Taste Like?

Brazilian coffee, like Peru coffee and other South American coffees, tends to be low in acidity and smooth in body with sweet flavors. The coffee flavor profile typically features chocolate, nuts, and fruit, ranging from milk chocolate to bitter cocoa and toasted almond.

Some Brazilian specialty coffee grown at high altitudes contains subtle citrus notes and other brighter fruit characteristics. But it’s very rare to find a Brazilian bean with a bright, juicy acidity.

Estate coffees from Brazil are those grown at specific, high-quality farms in the country. When you see the word “estate,” it can be traced back to that specific farm and family. Many of these coffees are those that win awards, so if you see one, be sure to pick it up.

How are Brazilian Coffee Beans Processed?

Most of the coffee produced in Brazil is processed naturally, as it is one of few countries with the ideal climate for this method. After being picked from the coffee plant, beans are dried in the coffee cherries. This gives a sweeter flavor profile as the beans absorb more sugar from the fruit’s pulp.

Some coffee in Brazil is wet processed, also known as washed coffee processing, which yields a more consistent and clean cup. Brazil also processes a significant amount of coffee using the pulped natural method, which combines the characteristics of wet and dry processing. Due to the low humidity, Brazil has mastered this method and produces some of the best pulped natural coffees.

Brazil’s Special Coffee Grading System

Brazil uses a unique coffee classification system that considers the coffee beans’ physical properties, flavor, and defects. From best to worst, coffee beans are rated as: Strictly Soft, Soft, Soft-ish, Hard, Riado, Rioy, and Ria Zona. It is only important to understand this scale if you buy unroasted green coffee beans.

Best brewing methods for the Brazilian Coffee

The best Brazilian beans produce coffee with a full body, low acidity, and notes of sweet chocolate and toasted nuts. Here are the best coffee brewing methods to enjoy that type of coffee to the fullest.

• French Press: Coffee made with a French Press is known for its heavy body. It’s perfect for coffees that are naturally lower in acidity, and it helps to pronounce the sweet chocolate notes of the coffee.
• Espresso: There’s a reason most espresso blends contain Brazilian coffee. The full, sweet, chocolatey character helps to make the perfect shot of espresso.
• Cold Brew: Brazilian coffees are smooth and refreshing when brewed cold.

Tips for roasting Brazilian coffee

Brazil coffee is versatile and can handle whatever roast level you prefer.

• Lighter roasts will be smooth and easy-drinking, with milk chocolate, nuts, and fruit notes.
• Darker roasts will highlight the full body and the toasted nut character, with more bittersweet cocoa flavor and less fruit character.

Brazil coffee beans tend to have a low bean density, making roasting a bit tricky. Make sure you pay attention while roasting, and don’t go too fast. Since these beans are softer, applying lower heat for a longer period of time will make for a balanced roast; high heat quickly may just scorch the beans.

Brazilian Coffee Growing Regions and Varietals

The coffee regions of Brazil are nestled along the Atlantic Coast in the southeast (6). These areas receive moderate sunlight and rain with steady temperatures year-round, great for growing Arabica and Robusta coffee.

Mundo Novo is the most popular Arabica variety in Brazil, but Catuai, Acaia, and Bourbon are also common. Many small farms grow rarer varieties, like Semperflorens coffee, Obatã, and Icatu.

Coffee is grown in 13 of the 27 federative states of Brazil. Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, and São Paulo are the three largest and most prominent coffee-growing states.

Minas Gerais is the biggest coffee-growing state, housing half of Brazil’s coffee production farms.

• Cerrado de Minas was the first region to be awarded the Designation of Origin status. With elevations reaching 800 to 1,300 meters, this region produces high-quality beans.
• Chapada de Minas is a region of valleys and highlands growing Catuai and Mundo Novo varieties.
• Matas de Minas is an emerging region mostly composed of small coffee farms. The landscape is uneven, and the coffee varietals produced here for chocolate or caramel notes, similar to the coffees produced in Bolivia.
• Sul de Minas boasts mild temperatures and an average altitude of 1000 meters. It produces 30% of the country’s coffee. Coffees produced in Sul de Minas are known to be full-bodied with fruity notes.

Espírito Santo mainly grows Robusta coffee beans. It’s home to the coffee-growing regions Montanhas de Espirito Santo and Conilon Capixaba.

São Paulo is home to Port Santos, the port known for coffee exportation. It includes the coffee subregions Mogiana and Centre-Oeste de São Paulo.

• Centro-Oeste de São Paolo region covers four cities. It has craggy, uneven terrain, so its coffee farms are mostly small to medium in size.
• Mogiana has land areas sitting 900 to 1,100 meters above sea level and mild temperatures, allowing it to produce high-quality coffee beans.

Aproveite, Meu Amigo! (Enjoy, My Friend)

Brazilian coffee is technically the most popular coffee in the world, even if it’s not always prized for its flavor. As the world’s biggest coffee producer, Brazilian coffee is everywhere.

Just because a lot of Brazilian coffee is so-so doesn’t mean it isn’t an origin worth exploring, and we happily recommend the five beans on this list. This single-origin coffee has a unique profile, and its characteristics will only improve as time goes by and there is more investment in Brazil’s coffee industry.