Brazil has been the world’s largest coffee producer for more than 150 years, Hoffmann writes in The World Atlas of Coffee, and with its focus on yield, it hasn’t kept a great reputation for the very best coffees. USDA forecasts its 2026/27 crop at 71.9 million 60 kg bags, about 38 percent of the world’s 189.7 million (calculated from USDA’s figures). The best of it is worth drinking on its own.
Our 2019 video predates this revision; where they differ, the figures here supersede it.
What Brazilian coffee tastes like
Hoffmann’s short version: better Brazilian coffees tend to be low in acidity, heavy in body and sweet, often with chocolate and nutty flavors. He adds that Brazil makes some very clean, sweet coffees without much acidity that many people find delicious and very approachable.
The low acidity has a geographic explanation. Hoffmann notes that much of Brazil’s coffee grows below the altitudes best suited to quality, and Mark Pendergrast, in Uncommon Grounds, puts 95 percent of the country below 3,000 feet. USDA’s Brasília office writes that higher elevations and milder temperatures give denser beans and more acidic coffee, and it describes the coffees of Sul de Minas, grown at 800–1,400 m by its count, as high in acidity and sweet.
Our 2019 video describes Brazilian coffee in general as mild and delicate, with low acidity and sweet notes of nuts, caramel and chocolate. It singles out three:
- Cerrado: low acidity and a nutty, caramel flavor; clean, with a nice body and a creamy mouthfeel.
- A coffee the video calls Cambara: richer, with notes of rum and raisins, dark chocolate and tropical fruit.
- Bourbon Santos: often smooth, nutty and sweet, and, in the video’s words, mild and balanced enough for espresso blends that take a dark roast without excessive bitterness.
Two of those names describe places, not plants. Cerrado is a growing region, and Hoffmann explains that “Santos” on a bag only means the coffee shipped from the port of Santos; it says nothing about where the coffee was grown. “Bourbon Santos” usually means Bourbon-variety coffee shipped through Santos.
Roasters’ descriptions point the same way. In Coffee Origins’ sample of 14 Brazilian lots from roasters’ catalogs, January to March 2026, caramel and chocolate each came up in four lots, and hazelnut and raisin in three. These are tendencies, not a promise for any one bag.
How much Brazil grows
USDA’s Brasília office expects a record crop for 2026/27 after five years in which bad weather held arabica back. Its figures, by marketing year (July to June):
| Marketing year | Total (million 60 kg bags) | Arabica + robusta (conilon) |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 62.6 | 39.8 + 22.8 |
| 2023/24 | 66.3 | 44.9 + 21.4 |
| 2024/25 | 65.5 | 44.5 + 21.0 |
| 2025/26 | 63.0 | 38.0 + 25.0 |
| 2026/27 | 71.9 (forecast) | 47.5 + 24.4 |
About two-thirds of the 2026/27 crop is arabica, 66 percent (calculated). Brazil’s own agencies forecast less: the national supply company, Conab, puts 2026/27 at 66.7 million bags, and the statistics institute, IBGE, at 65.1 million. USDA notes that both use different methods and have historically come in below its own estimates.
- Arabica is mostly a Minas Gerais crop. Conab data cited by USDA put almost 72 percent of Brazil’s arabica there, and São Paulo grows only arabica.
- Robusta, called conilon in Brazil, comes mainly from Espírito Santo, which has 70 percent of Brazil’s robusta area, then Bahia and Rondônia.
- Brazilians drink a lot of it. USDA forecasts domestic consumption at 22.4 million bags for 2026/27, and the roasters’ association, ABIC, counted 4.82 kg of roasted coffee per person from November 2024 to October 2025.
- Most of the rest is exported. USDA forecasts 49.1 million bags of exports for 2026/27. Germany and the United States were the biggest buyers in early 2026, and USDA says Brazil supplies about 32 percent of the green coffee the US imports.
Where it grows
Hoffmann’s regional tables give every Brazilian region a May to September harvest; USDA reported the 2026 harvest starting slowly in April and gaining pace from mid-May. Our harvest calendar puts that against other origins.
| Region (state) | Altitude (Hoffmann) | What sources say about it |
|---|---|---|
| Cerrado Mineiro (Minas Gerais) | 850–1,250 m | Relatively new to coffee, dominated by large mechanized farms; in 2013 the first region in Brazil to get Designation of Origin status |
| Sul de Minas (Minas Gerais) | 700–1,350 m | Generations of smallholders and many cooperatives; known for specialty coffee with high acidity and sweetness |
| Mantiqueira de Minas (Minas Gerais) | 1,000–1,400 m (USDA) | High-altitude part of southern Minas; Geographical Indication since 2011, and much awarded |
| Matas de Minas (Minas Gerais) | 550–1,200 m | Steep hills picked by hand; medium to full body, medium acidity, high sweetness |
| Mogiana (São Paulo) | 800–1,200 m | Named after the Mogiana railroad, built in 1883; Alta Mogiana’s coffees have a strong aroma, creamy body and balanced acidity |
| Chapada Diamantina (Bahia) | 1,000–1,200 m | In Bahia, which has sent out more and more interesting coffees; a notable number of farms grow coffee biodynamically |
Altitudes are Hoffmann’s except Mantiqueira’s, which comes from USDA’s March 2026 report on Brazil’s specialty sector; the flavor descriptions in the last column are that report’s, and the notes on farms and terrain are Hoffmann’s.
Hoffmann adds that Bahia surprised people at the 2009 Cup of Excellence, when five of the top ten lots came from the state, and that Espírito Santo, the second-largest producing state, grows mostly conilon, with more interesting arabica in its south. Coffee Origins maps the main regions:
Varieties
Here’s a fact that surprised me: World Coffee Research (WCR) reports that 97.55 percent of Brazil’s coffee cultivars are derived from just two old lines, Typica and Bourbon. That’s a measure of how narrow the genetic base is, not a share of the crop. Hoffmann names Mundo Novo, Yellow Bourbon, Caturra and Catuaí among the many varieties developed in Brazil or that evolved there. WCR rates the main ones like this:
| Variety | What it is (WCR) | WCR ratings: stature; quality potential at high altitude; leaf rust |
|---|---|---|
| Bourbon | The old line, introduced to Brazil around 1860 | Tall; Very Good; susceptible |
| Mundo Novo | A natural Bourbon × Typica cross found in São Paulo state and discovered in 1943; given to farmers from 1952 | Tall; Good; susceptible |
| Catuaí | Mundo Novo × yellow Caturra, crossed by the Instituto Agronômico in 1949 and released in 1972; red- and yellow-fruited types | Compact; Good; susceptible |
Yellow Bourbon is Bourbon with yellow rather than red fruit: Hoffmann notes that Bourbon’s cherries can be red, yellow or occasionally orange, and lists Yellow Bourbon as one of Brazil’s own. A variety name is a clue to the cup, not a verdict. Our variety guide explains the families.
Processing
Brazil dries much of its coffee in the cherry. Pendergrast writes that the dry, or natural, method is still the favored way to process most Brazilian coffee, with whole cherries spread on large patios and turned as they dry. Hoffmann adds that a lot of Brazil’s coffee is strip-picked or machine-harvested, which doesn’t sort for ripeness, so unripe cherries can end up in the harvest.
Brazil’s own contribution is the pulped natural. Hoffmann describes it as the result of experiments by the equipment maker Pinhalense, meant to make high-quality coffee with less water than washing: the cherries are depulped, then dried on patios or beds with some of the fruit still on, which gives noticeably more sweetness and body. He dates its introduction in Brazil to the early 1990s and says it helped quality. Some arabica is washed too: in Espírito Santo’s misty mountains, USDA reports, producers use washed or semi-washed processing because of the humidity.
Our processing guide explains how each method changes the cup.
Why Brazil anchors espresso blends
Hoffmann writes that Brazil’s specialty producers have long battled a reputation for coffees with low acidity and more body, “best suited to espresso blends.” That reputation isn’t all bad if a sweet, low-acid cup is what you’re after.
| Origin | What Hoffmann describes |
|---|---|
| Brazil | Low acidity, heavy body, sweet; often chocolate and nuts |
| Colombia | A huge range, from heavier, chocolatey coffees to jammy, fruity lots |
| Ethiopia | Notably diverse: citrus, bergamot and florals through to candied or tropical fruit |
| Kenya | Bright, complex berry and fruit flavors, sweetness and intense acidity |
| Indonesia (semi-washed) | Very heavy body; earthy, woody and spicy, with very little acidity |
If you like the weight of a Sumatra but not its earthiness, a Brazilian natural is worth a try; if you find Colombian coffee a little bright, Brazil is the gentler option.
What to look for on a bag
- A region. Cerrado Mineiro, Sul de Minas, Mantiqueira de Minas, Matas de Minas, Mogiana or Chapada Diamantina tells you far more than “Brazil” or “Santos.”
- A farm. Hoffmann says high-quality Brazilian coffees are usually traceable to a specific farm (fazenda), while lower grades are bulk lots. He also warns that Brazil breaks the usual rule: some farms there produce more coffee than all of Bolivia, so a traceable Brazilian coffee isn’t automatically a better one.
- The process. In Hoffmann’s descriptions, a natural often adds fruit flavors, sometimes wild ones; a pulped natural adds sweetness and body with less risk of defects; and a washed coffee tends to be the cleanest, with more acidity.
- The variety, such as Yellow Bourbon, Mundo Novo or Catuaí.
- Competition history. Pendergrast credits the roaster George Howell with starting the Cup of Excellence, with a 2000 competition that put exceptional Brazilian coffees in front of international judges. A Cup of Excellence lot is a sign someone tasted it closely.
- The roast date. Our freshness guide explains what it tells you.
How to brew it
Brazilian coffee’s body and sweetness make it an easy espresso coffee. Our Brew Guide’s standard shot is a good place to start:
It suits a moka pot too. Hoffmann finds very acidic, juicy coffees hard to make taste good in a moka pot and recommends a light espresso roast or a coffee grown at lower altitudes. Our moka pot guide has his method. For drip or pour-over, our V60 guide walks through a full recipe, and for more body, try a French press. Whatever you brew with, the grind matters as much as the bean:
For what roasting does to a coffee like this, see our guide to how coffee is roasted.
Weather and Brazil’s supply
Because Brazil grows so much of the world’s coffee, its weather moves prices everywhere. The worst case so far was the Black Frost of July 17 and 18, 1975: Pendergrast writes that it killed one and a half billion coffee trees, well over half of Brazil’s total, and Hoffmann that it cut the next year’s crop by nearly 75 percent and almost doubled the world price. Paraná, he notes, once grew 22 million bags and now grows closer to 2 million, as many farmers there gave up coffee after the frost.
The near future depends on rain and heat. In June 2026, USDA’s Brasília office expected the record 2026/27 crop to arrive with El Niño likely, which may mean fewer frosts this winter but could hurt flowering for 2027/28. It also reported producers adjusting for climate change by seeking more shade and more resilient varieties. Our history of Brazil’s coffee kingdom explains how Brazil came to grow so much in the first place.
Sources
- James Hoffmann, The World Atlas of Coffee, 2nd ed. (Octopus/Mitchell Beazley, 2018): “Brazil,” pp. 198–203 (history, the 1975 frost, modern production, strip picking, the pulped natural process, traceability, taste profile, growing regions with altitudes and harvests); “Processing,” p. 36 (the pulped natural process); “Coffee varieties,” p. 22 (Bourbon’s fruit colors); taste profiles for Colombia (p. 207), Ethiopia (p. 137), Kenya (p. 142) and Indonesia (p. 171); “Stove-top moka pot,” p. 90
- Mark Pendergrast, Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World, rev. ed. (Basic Books, 2010; 2019 paperback), p. 25 (altitude), p. 26 (the dry method), p. 289 (the Black Frost) and p. 350 (the Cup of Excellence)
- USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Brazil: Coffee Annual, report BR2026-0025, June 1, 2026 (production by state and type, Conab and IBGE forecasts, harvest timing, El Niño, robusta states, consumption and ABIC data, exports and destinations): apps.fas.usda.gov
- USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Brazil: Brewing Opportunity – Brazil’s Specialty Coffee Sector Shows Strong Potential, report BR2026-0008, March 6, 2026 (regions, altitude and acidity, Designations of Origin and Geographical Indications): apps.fas.usda.gov
- USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Production, Supply and Distribution database, Coffee, Green (July 2026 release): Brazil and world production, 2026/27: apps.fas.usda.gov/psdonline
- World Coffee Research, “History of Arabica” (Brazil’s 97.55 percent) and Coffee Varieties Catalog entries for Bourbon, Mundo Novo and Catuai (history and rating tables), checked October 18, 2026: varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org
- JayArr Coffee, Coffee Origins (Brazil panel: harvest, altitude band, production, varieties, processing and roasters’ notes for January–March 2026)
- JayArr Coffee, “Is Brazilian Coffee Any Good?” (video, October 2019): the tasting descriptions, from the narration: youtube.com