Hello friends! In today’s Dica, we’ll discuss Brazilian Coffee and the best Brazilian coffee brands. Did you know that Brazil has a long history with coffee? And produces many different types of coffee? Coffee plants grows in many different Brazilian regions, from Santos to Cerrado coffee. We also have a Brazilian version of arabica coffee. So, grab your mug of Carioca coffee or maybe a little cup of Brazilian expresso and let’s drink some coffee today!
Coffee, popularly known as cafezinho, is a big part of Brazilian culture. Brazil is the biggest coffee producer in the world. So, of course, we have the habit of drinking coffee all day, every day! When you visit a Brazilian home, it’s common to be offered a cup of coffee, even on sweltering summer days. Our coffee is usually served in small cups and extraordinarily strong, like a Brazilian expresso. Brazil, USA and Germany combined consume 50% of world coffee. We like coffee so much that we keep our coffee combinations simple, like the famous pingado: coffee with a drop of milk. Talking about types of coffee, Brazilians usually consume a mix between Brazilian arabica coffee and Conilon (or Robusta) beans.
We have many distinct brands here, that come from all parts of Brazil, like Santos, Minas Gerais and even from the Cerrado! Want to know how Brazilians like their coffee? Take a look at this video and watch how we drink coffee in Brazil. Don’t forget to turn the subtitles on and check out our Youtube Channel to view more Dicas like this one.
When sugar was no longer as profitable as it had previously been, Brazil started to invest in coffee plantations, which would later become the country’s main source of income. It wasn’t until around 1760 that Brazil, and the rest of the world, saw a growth in coffee production. So, Brazil took advantage of this and, using slave labor, entered a period identified by historians as the Ciclo Cafeeiro (Coffee Cycle). Starting from when plants were brought from Maranhão to Rio, and production really took off, the Brazilian GDP increased enormously between 1835 and 1850. Brazilian Coffee made its way into our economy and culture, and nowadays, the country is the biggest exporter and producer, responsible for a third of the world’s coffee production. A Brazilian expresso is amazing!
And now, let’s learn more about the differences between coffee beans from Brazil:
Highly praised by people who like a more refined coffee, comes from a plant with white flowers, and has an acidic and slightly sweet taste! The caffeine content is light, about 1.2%. It’s the most famous type of coffee in the world.
A well-known type of Arabica coffee is Acaiá coffee. The main characteristic of Acaiá is the smooth, fruity taste. It often features in blends that are highly praised in tastings.
Another variation on Arabica is Bourbon coffee. It’s planted above 800 meters, which makes the cultivation of this plant very specific and even somewhat complicated. But it’s worth it, as it produces one of the best quality beans in the world. The aroma is very intense and the complex flavor, with hints of hazelnut, is not very acidic but has chocolate tones.
The Catuaí coffee is a 100% Brazilian creation! Created by the Agronomic Institute of Campinas, this coffee represents 45% of the country’s coffee plantations. Planting Catuaí is simpler, this was purposely done to facilitate cultivation, with lower and more resistant plants. Catuaí comes from one of the native Brazilian languages and means “very good”.
A little less known variation of Arabica is Geisha Coffee. No, this coffee has nothing to do with the Orient! It is believed that this coffee was created in the Gesha village in Ethiopia. It is used to produce a very aromatic and floral cup of coffee. But it is a very difficult coffee to produce and you rarely find it.
Kona Coffee is considered the tastiest in the world. Hence, it is also one of the most expensive. Its name comes from the city of Kona, Hawaii, and it has many qualities making it so tasty but most important is that it produces a very fruity and velvety coffee.
This type of coffee, also called Robusta, is widely used as instant coffee, and is the mostly loved by those who are not hardcore coffee fans, as it has a slightly chocolatey taste. This type of coffee is more consumed amongst Brazilians than exported. Because it has a caffeine concentration of 2,2%, the Conilon coffee is more robust than the Arabica.
To understand more about the geographic distribution of our coffee, check out the best coffee regions in Brazil:
Now that you know the best of Brazilian coffee, let’s get to know the best Brazilian coffee brands! From Brazil Cerrado to Pelé coffee, we have many types of coffee for you to choose from!
Café Pilão is proud for their coffee that keeps people awake! Their slogan is “O Café Forte do Brasil” (The Strong Brazilian Coffee). This is an accessible brand, which makes it the most sold and most popular coffee. They sell coffee in capsules for automatic machines, in grains and soluble.
Melitta Café is a brand responsible for selling anything and everything related to coffee! From filters til tea pots, this brand is versatile and responsible for an amazing section of coffees. An interesting thing is that one of the most sold coffee from this brand is decaf hahaha!
Cerrado Coffee is a green brand! Brazil Cerrado is proud of having a green plantation of coffee, as well as ethical treatment for their soil and production.
Café do Ponto is one of the best Brazilian coffee brands! An interesting choice they offer, though, is importation coffee. Usually, people say that the best products go for exportation, right? Well, Café do Ponto offers the same coffee they export to domestic public.
Café 3 Corações have their own expresso machine in capsules, which is extremely popular in Brazil and competes with the famous Nespresso. They also have a very accessible line of coffee!
Café Pimpinela is an accessible coffee that will keep you awake during long hours of work. And even if their proposal is not of a fancy coffee, it’s delicious for daily life!
Café Pelé is not a brand owned by the great Pelé, but many people think so! This brand is proud to have a coffee that has the highest grades of purity.
There’s an amazing place in the center of Rio de Janeiro called Curto Café. This place is great not only because of its welcoming service and friendly staff, but most of all because of its honesty system payment ideology with suggested collaborative prices. That is, you can pay as much as you want! If you come study Portuguese in Brazil with us, we can take you there to have a great cup of Brazilian expresso, and you can even order your coffee yourself. Don’t forget to ask them which types of coffee they have, from our brazilian Santos coffee, to the Brazil Cerrado one, you have many different options to try out!
That’s it! Are you eager to try our Brazilian arabica, Santos or Brazil Cerrado coffee? Would you have a Brazilian expresso even on a hot summer day? If you ever tasted a Brazilian coffee, which is your favorite Brazilian coffee brand? Tell us in the comments! Grab a piece of cake, a cup of coffee and get ready for more classes with your favorite Portuguese school!
Kisses from Brazil.
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