Information about the Famous Brazilian Coffee

At the latest at the first breakfast on your Brazil trip, you will encounter it: delicious, strong Brazilian coffee. In Germany, you won't find pure Brazilian coffee so often, and if you do, it is only declared as coffee from South America. In today's article, we want to introduce you a little bit more to the background of coffee cultivation and the importance of coffee for Brazil.

In 1727, a Portuguese succeeded in smuggling a number of coffee seeds from Ethiopia to Brazil with only a ruse. This modest beginning changed the cultivation of coffee in Brazil in the 19th century profoundly. Until the abolition of slavery in 1888, only slaves worked on the coffee plantations, but they remained there for lack of alternatives. Further workers were recruited from Europe. Today the export share of coffee is about 20%, but despite the boom of the economy, this sector is still one of the most important of the Brazilian industry with 3.5 million people.

First of all, the "Cafezinho" is what real coffee is for Brazilians. It is served in small cups like an espresso, possibly sweetened, and then drunk "scalding hot" in one go. You won't believe it, but the USA and Brazil are leading a neck-and-neck race of coffee consumption. Of 48 million bags of coffee, Brazilians consumed more than 37%. There are more than four million coffee trees in the country and 75% of the farms are small farmers.
But where are the numerous coffee plantations actually located? Near the Atlantic Ocean is the so-called Ciclo de Cafe, which forms a triangle between Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Belo Horizonte. There are also other coffee plantations in the savannahs of central Brazil and in the state of Parana. These regions together provide about 98% of the country's coffee harvest. However, coffee is generally grown in two-thirds of Brazil, 17 of the 26 states.
Of course, not all types of coffee taste the same. For example, the varieties of the Atlantic coastal regions are characterized by their seawater aroma. This aroma is particularly popular in North Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East. In recent years, Arabica Bourbon Santos coffee varieties have been rediscovered in the Cerrado (the savannahs and second largest ecosystem in the country). These soft, mild-spicy aromas are combined with a hint of vanilla.

Not all coffees are the same, so Brazilian varieties are divided into three categories: The "Milds", washed beans, "Brazil", unwashed and sun-dried raw materials, and "Other Arabics".
The "milds" have a uniform degree of ripeness and must be processed within 12 to 24 hours.
The "Brazil" variety is not washed but processed dry. The flesh dries in the sun, giving the beans a strong taste and an intensive caffeine content.
On your next Brazil vacation, you will definitely come across fresh coffee. We also recommend you to try the "Cafezinho" as the Brazilians drink it as described above.
Tip: In many restaurants, you can get free coffee at lunchtime.

Source: coffee specialists.com