ROBUSTA PRODUCTION
While not a focus of this book, it should be noted that Brazil is one of the world’s primary producers of Robusta, along with Arabica. In Brazil Robusta is usually called conillon and is produced in regions such as Rondonia.
DOMESTIC CONSUMPTION
Brazil has been actively trying to increase its internal coffee consumption, with increasing success. While giving children coffee at school from a young age may raise some eyebrows, the consumption in Brazil now rivals that of the United States. No raw coffee can be imported into Brazil, which means that a large percentage of the coffee grown in Brazil is consumed there, though generally the quality of coffee for domestic consumption is lower than that for export.
Coffee bars have appeared throughout the major cities, though the price of coffee in these places is similar to better coffee bars in the United States and Europe so they have become another symbol of the increasing divide between rich and poor in Brazil.
TRACEABILITY
High-quality Brazilian coffees are usually traceable down to a specific farm (fazenda), whereas the lower-quality coffees are bulk lots and not traceable. Coffees marked as ‘Santos’ have simply shipped from the port of Santos and the name has nothing to do with where the coffee was grown. Brazil probably breaks the rule of thumb, that traceability is linked to quality, as there are farms in Brazil producing more coffee than the whole of Bolivia. And while the coffee may be traceable due to the size of production, it will not necessarily be higher in quality as a result.
A Brazilian worker opens the sluice of a washing tank, raking the clean beans on to a trailer.
TASTE PROFILE
Better Brazilian coffees tend to be low in acidity, heavy in body and sweet, often with chocolate and nutty flavours.
GROWING REGIONS
Population: 207,350,000
Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2016: 55,000,000
There are many different coffee varieties grown across Brazil and many of them were developed in the country or evolved there, including Mundo Novo, Yellow Bourbon, Caturra and Catuai.
BAHIA
This large state in the east of Brazil is one of the northernmost coffee-growing areas in the country. In recent years there have been more and more interesting coffees from this region and many people sat up and took notice when, in the 2009 Cup of Excellence competition, five out of the top ten lots came from Bahia.
CHAPADA DIAMANTINA
This beautiful area of Brazil, known for its national park, is named after its geology: Chapada describes the steep cliffs in the region and Diamantina the diamonds found there in the 19th century. A notable number of farms in the region are producing coffee biodynamically, an organic method of production originally developed by Rudolph Steiner.
Altitude:
1,000–1,200m (3,300–3,900ft)
Harvest:
June–September
CERRADO DE BAHIA/WEST BAHIA
This region lends itself to large-scale, industrialized and irrigated coffee production. In the late 1970s and early 1980s this region was part of a government project to encourage agriculture, which provided cheap credit and incentives to around six hundred farmers who moved here. By 2006, around 1.5 million hectares (3.7 million acres) of land were being cultivated, although coffee made up a relatively small part of this. A stable, warm and sunny climate lends itself to higher yields, so it is a little harder to find something truly astonishing from this part of Brazil.
Altitude:
700–1,000m (2,300–3,300ft)
Harvest:
May–September
A farmer in Brazil uses a sieve to separate coffee cherries from the chaff, which is carried away by the wind.
PLANALTO DE BAHIA
This coffee region has more of a focus on small-scale production, taking advantage of the cooler temperatures and higher altitudes to produce higher-quality coffees.
Altitude:
700–1,300m (2,300–4,300ft)
Harvest:
May–September
MINAS GERAIS
In the southeast of the country, the state of Minas Gerais has some of the highest mountains in Brazil, providing good altitude for coffee.
CERRADO
Cerrado means tropical savannah but, although one could use this name to refer to the entire savannah that stretches through many states in Brazil, when it comes to coffee the name usually refers to the Cerrado region in the west of Minas Gerais. This area is relatively new to coffee production and perhaps this explains why it is dominated by large, mechanized farms. In fact, over ninety per cent of the farms in the region are larger than 10 hectares (24 acres).
Altitude:
850–1,250m (2,800–4,100ft)
Harvest:
May–September
SUL DE MINAS
Historically this is home to a great deal of Brazil’s coffee production, and there have been many generations of smallholder farmers here. Perhaps for this reason there are many more cooperatives in the region. Despite the prevalence of small farms it is still a well-industrialized area, with a lot of mechanical harvesting.
Certain areas within the region have attracted more attention recently, including Carmo de Minas. This particular municipality, around the village of Carmo, has a notable number of producers leveraging the soil and climate to grow better coffees.
Altitude:
700–1,350m (2,300–4,400ft)
Harvest:
May–September
CHAPADA DE MINAS
This region is further north, away from the other coffee-growing areas clustered together to the south. Coffee growing took hold here in the late 1970s. It is a relatively small area of production, with some producers taking advantage of the flat land to mechanize their farms.
Altitude:
800–1,100m (2,600–3,600ft)
Harvest:
May–September
MATAS DE MINAS
This is a region where coffee took root early, and one that became rich on the back of coffee and dairy between 1850 and 1930. While the area has diversified in recent years, around eighty per cent of its agricultural income still comes from coffee.
The uneven land here, with steep hillsides, means that harvesting is commonly done by hand. Even though there are many smallholders in the region (almost fifty per cent of the farms are smaller than 10 hectares/24 acres) there is not the established reputation for quality one might expect. However, this is changing for the better and there are plenty of farms producing great coffee here.
Altitude:
550–1,200m (1,800–3,900ft)
Harvest:
May–September
SAO PAOLO
The state of São Paolo contains one of the better-known coffee-growing areas of Brazil, Mogiana. The region was named after the Mogiana Railroad Company, which built the ‘coffee railroad’ in 1883, leading to better transport and a great expansion of coffee production here.
Altitude:
800–1,200m (2,600–3,900ft)
Harvest:
May–September
MATO GROSSO AND MATO GROSSO DO SUL
This area produces only a small amount of Brazil’s annual harvest. Its large, flat highlands are better suited to the vast number of cattle raised here and the extensive soybean production.
Altitude:
average of 600m (2000ft)
Harvest:
May–September
ESPIRITO SANTO
While relatively small compared to other coffee-growing regions in Brazil, the second-largest chunk of the annual harvest is produced in Espirito Santo and the capital city, Vittoria, is a key port for export. However, nearly eighty per cent of the coffee it produces is conillon (Robusta). In the south of the region, the farmers tend towards Arabica production and there can be some more interesting coffees there.
Altitude:
900–1,200m (3,000–3,900ft)
Harvest:
May–September
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Some argue that this state is the most southern coffee-growing region in the world, and it is an important agricultural area for Brazil. Despite having just 2.5 per cent of the country’s land, it produces nearly 25 per cent of its agricultural output. Coffee was once the biggest crop here, but after the damage caused by frost in 1975, many producers diversified. While the region once produced 22 million bags of coffee, now it produces closer to 2 million. The first colonists here settled close to the coast, but coffee was the reason many moved inland. The lack of altitude prevents really high-quality coffees being grown here, but the cooler temperatures do help slow down the maturation of the fruit.
Altitude:
up to 950m (3,100ft)
Harvest:
May–September
COLOMBIA
Coffee was probably first introduced to Colombia in 1723 by the Jesuits, though there are inevitably different accounts. It spread slowly as a commercial crop to various regions of the country, but its production did not become significant until the end of the 19th century. By 1912, coffee made up approximately fifty per cent of Colombia’s total exports.
Colombia recognized the value of marketing and building its brand relatively early on. The creation in 1958 of Juan Valdez, the farmer who represents Colombian coffee, was perhaps their greatest success. Juan Valdez and his mule were created as the symbol of Colombian coffee and appeared on bags of coffee and also in various advertising campaigns, portrayed by three different actors over the years. Juan Valdez became a point of recognition, particularly in the US, and added value to Colombian coffee. The character built on the success of early marketing phrases such as ‘Mountain Grown Coffee’, and the constant promotion of ‘100% Colombian Coffee’ meant that Colombia would stand apart in the minds of consumers across the world.
This marketing was, and continues to be, undertaken by the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros (FNC). This organization, created in 1927, is particularly unusual in the coffee-producing world. While many countries have organizations involved in the export and promotion of their coffee, few are quite as large and complex as the FNC. It was created as a private non-profit organization to defend the interests of coffee producers and is funded through a special tax on all coffee exported. As Colombia is one of the largest coffee producers in the world, the FNC is well funded and has become something of a monstrous, bureaucratic organization. This bureaucracy is perhaps inevitable as the FNC is now technically owned and controlled by its 500,000 coffee-producing members. While the FNC is involved in the more obvious roles of marketing, production and some financial matters, its reach goes deeper into coffee-growing communities and it has a hand in the creation of both social and physical infrastructure including rural roads, schools and health centres. It has also invested in other industries besides coffee to help spur on regional development and wellbeing.
Colombia is one of the largest producers of coffee in the world, and export is controlled by a national federation. The country’s well-defined growing regions produce a varied range of crops.
THE FNC AND QUALITY
Recently there has been some friction between the FNC and the more quality-conscious section of the industry, as the FNC’s perceived interests of the farmers may not always lead to the best possible quality in the coffee. The FNC has a research division called Cenicafé which breeds specific varieties and many believe the promotion of varieties like Castillo has favoured quantity of yield above cup quality. It is possible to see both sides of the argument, and as global climate change has an increasing impact on the stability of Colombia’s production, it is increasingly difficult to argue against varieties that ensure livelihoods for producers, even at the expense of losing some great cups of coffee.
TRACEABILITY
As part of the promotion of Colombian coffee, the FNC created the terms ‘Supremo’ and ‘Excelso’. These terms relate only to the size of the bean, and it is important to understand that they have no relation to quality. Unfortunately this classification obscures any traceability as coffee marketed this way may come from many, many farms and be blended before being sieved mechanically to the necessary sizing grade. Essentially this is generic coffee, and its naming offers no help when trying to buy quality. The speciality coffee section of the industry has been working to maintain traceability, so when looking for something incredibly enjoyable, make sure the beans come from a distinct place, rather than just being a certain size.
Plantations in the mountainous territory of Risaralda, one of Colombia’s western-central departments, produce some of the country’s best-known coffee.
TASTE PROFILE
Colombian coffees have a huge range of flavours, from the heavier, chocolatier coffees through to jammy, sweet, fruity lots. A huge spectrum of flavours exists across the regions.
GROWING REGIONS
Population: 49,829,000
Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2016: 14,232,000
Colombia has well-defined growing regions, and they produce an impressive variety of coffees. Whether you want rounder, heavier coffees or something vibrant and fruity (or something in between) there is probably a coffee in Colombia that fits the bill. The regions are geographically defined, rather than politically, so it is not unusual to find that there are common traits to the coffees produced in each region. If you enjoy one coffee from a region, you will probably enjoy many of the others.
The coffee trees in Colombia yield two harvests each year, the main harvest and the second harvest, known locally as the mitaca harvest.
CAUCA
Among others, this area is best known for its coffees grown around Inza and the city of Popayán. The Meseta de Popayán is a high plateau with attractive growing conditions provided by the altitude, its proximity to the equator and the surrounding mountains, which protect the coffee against the humidity of the Pacific and the trade winds from the south. The result is a very stable climate year round, and the region has notable volcanic soil too. Historically there has been a predictable, single rainy season each year in October to December.
Altitude:
1,700–2,100m (5,600–6,900ft)
Harvest:
March–June (main crop) November–December (mitaca crop)
Varieties:
21% Typica, 64% Caturra, 15% Castillo
VALLE DEL CAUCA
The valley of Cauca is one of the most fertile parts of the country, with the Cauca river running down between two large Andean mountain ranges. The area was one of the epicentres of the Colombian armed conflict. Typical of Colombia, most farms are pretty small and the area has around 75,800 hectares (187,300 acres) under coffee production, split between 26,000 farms owned by 23,000 families.
Altitude:
1,450–2,000m (4,750–6,600ft)
Harvest:
September–December (main crop) March–June (mitaca crop)
Varieties:
16% Typica, 62% Caturra, 22% Castillo
TOLIMA
Tolima is among the last strongholds of Colombia’s notorious rebel group FARC, which had maintained control of the area until relatively recently. Tolima has suffered in recent years from the fighting, which has made access difficult. Quality coffees from this area tend to come from small farmers in very small micro-lots via cooperatives.
Altitude:
1,200–1,900m (3,900–6,200ft)
Harvest:
March–June (main crop) October–December (mitaca crop)
Varieties:
9% Typica, 74% Caturra, 17% Castillo
HUILA
The department of Huila has a combination of great soil and great geography for growing coffee, and some of the most complex, fruit-driven Colombian coffees I have tasted have come from here. The region has more than seventy thousand coffee growers, covering more than 16,000 hectares (39,500 acres) of land.
Altitude:
1,250–2,000m (4,100–6,600ft)
Harvest:
September–Decembe
r (main crop) April–May (mitaca crop)
Varieties:
11% Typica, 75% Caturra, 14% Castillo
QUINDIO
Quindio is a small region in the centre of the country, just to the west of Bogotá. Coffee is an incredibly important part of the economy here, as the region suffers high levels of unemployment. However, the risks involved in growing coffee, due to the effects of climate change and the increased incidences of diseases affecting coffee plants, has led many farmers to grow citrus fruits and macadamia nuts instead.
Quindio is home to the National Coffee Park, a theme park based around coffee and coffee production. At the end of June each year, the municipality of Calarcá has, since 1960, hosted the National Coffee Party. This is a day of celebration around coffee, including a national beauty contest of coffee.
The World Atlas of Coffee: From beans to brewing - coffees explored, explained and enjoyed Page 20
