Is Brazil Known for Coffee? (And Why Brazilian Coffee Rocks)


Is Brazil known for coffee? For a coffee lover/addict like me living in Brazil is a perfect dream. I can’t even tell what I love the most: the smell or the taste of a huge cup of fresh coffee. The best part of it is that there’s plenty of great options here, a gigantic variety of types, brands, and flavors.

Brazil is well-known for its coffee because the country is the world’s largest exporter of the product. Currently, 32% of all the coffee consumed around the world is produced in Brazil, with “Robusta” being the country’s most exported Brazilian type of coffee.

Knowing this is easy to understand why Brazil is famous for coffee. Join me and let’s dive into a pool of coffee, I mean, information about this subject. If you’re a visual person, go straight to this incredible infographic.

Why is Brazil Famous for Coffee?

Brazil is the world’s largest producer and exporter of coffee with crops that could easily fit more than 2 million soccer fields.

Brazil is famous for coffee because the country is the world’s largest exporter of coffee, shipping off more than 40 million bags of all forms of coffee every year. 1 of every 3 cups of coffee drank on the planet Is produced in Brazil.

That’s the main reason why Brazil is famous for coffee. Also, the quality and variety of the grains produced around here are reasons why Brazilian coffee is so celebrated.

Check out this amazing infographic that I’ve prepared with a lot of whim for you.

Is Brazil known for Coffee?

The coffee that is in the table of the Brazilian on a daily-basis use to be a blend, a mix of different grains whose quality depends on how much Arabica is in the total – more Arabica usually means a better coffee.

Does Brazil produce the most coffee?

My opinion about Brazilian coffee is a little bit biased, I’m not gonna lie. But honestly, I’ve never found better options and greater variety than around here. It happens because the percentage of coffee produced in Brazil is shocking.

Brazil is the world’s largest producer of coffee, being responsible for the production of 32% of all the coffee consumed all around the globe. As the country is also the world’s largest exporter of coffee, there’s a big chance that the cup of coffee you drink daily came from Brazil.

Is Brazilian Coffee The Best?

We Brazilians are very proud of our coffee, which is the 2-most consumed drink around here, losing only for beer – yes, we love beer as much as coffee. Also, one Brazilian coffee is currently considered the best on earth.

The best coffee in the world comes from Brazil. The coffee grown in the farm of Sebastião Afonso da Silva in the state of Minas Gerais won the “Cup of Excellence”, the most important international coffee quality award, with the highest grade ever, 95.18 of 100.

Considered the most expensive natural coffee on the planet, the main attributes of this coffee are acidity, sweetness, and the body. A bag of only 60 kg of this coffee was already sold to Starbucks for 1800 USD.

But this is not the kind of coffee that Brazilians drink every day. Even so, the overall quality of Brazilian is very good and great brands are affordable to pretty much everyone.

Top Countries Most Addicted to Coffee

Estimated average per capita coffee consumption in selected countries is 2020 (in kg).

CountryConsumption (in kg)
Netherlands8.3
Finland7.8
Sweden7.6
Norway6.6
Canada5.5
Lebanon5.3
Germany5.2
Brazil5.1
Qatar5.0
Switzerland4.8
Italy4.7
Estonia4.3
Portugal4.0
United States3.5
France3.4

* Selected countries where per capita consumption exceeds 3kg per year. Source: Statista Consumer Market Outlook.

Data from the statista so shoutout for the amazing job guys.

Types of Coffee Produced in Brazil

Arabica

This variety is originally from Etiopia and one of the needs for this grain to grow well is the altitude where it’s planted. Usually, the best drinks are made with Arabica because have more complexity and flavors than other grains.

The Brazilian states producing Arabica are Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Paraná, Bahia and Espírito Santo.

Bourbon

The Bourbon coffee is original from the Island of Bourbon, on the east of Madagascar. The production of this type is very hard considering that it needs to be planted over an altitude of 800 meters.

As always, the hard work pays off. This grain is considered top quality for all the specialists.

Acaiá

Acaiá is derived from Arabica by a natural mutation. This is grain also needs to be planted at an altitude of at least 800 meters and found the perfect place to grow here in Brazilian soil.

A true gift considering that this is a rare and special drink, even here in Brazil where it grows.

Catuaí

Finally, there’s Catauí, a coffee that is 100% Brazilian (like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – don’t steal it from us guys, we don’t have much around here).

Jokes apart, the production of this coffee is simpler, but the best grains are from crops over a thousand meters.

This is a great coffee and the name tells exactly this: “Catauí” is an indigenous word from the tribe of the “Tupi-Guaranis” that means very good.

There are a lot more types of coffee being planted in our soil, but those 4 are considered very special and the most-produced here.

The Most Exported Brazilian Coffee

The most exported coffee from Brazil is Robusta. Robusta is a type of grain with the double caffeine of Arabica and because of that is considered a strong coffee. This is one of the most-produced coffee types on the planet.

Robusta is widely used to make instant coffee, also called soluble coffee in some places, and it’s because of being made with Robusta that this type of drink used to be bitter than the others.

4 Brazilian Coffee Brands That You Should Try

This ranking considers the best five coffees that you can buy in any market in Brazil. It’s not considering the “premium” of artisanal brands.

  • Mellita
Is Brazil Known for Coffee?

My personal favorite and one of the best-sellers in Brazil. It’s the coffee that I drink every day (usually all day long, including right now).

The brand has a lot of different blends, but the one that I’m referring to is the most classic: Mellita Traditional Intensity 8 Classic Roast.

This is not the cheapest on a daily basis around here, but it worth it. 500g costs around 1,89 USD (R$ 10,79) at current trading rates.

  • Pilão

Another great option is Pilão that is sold by the brand as the strongest coffee of Brazil, or as you read in the picture “O Café Mais Forte do Brasil” (in Portuguese Brazil is written with an “S”).

This is a great coffee that you should try if you ever had the chance. Pilão costs a little bit more than Mellita. For 500g of café Pilão here in Brazil, you’ll pay around 1,93 USD (R$ 10,99).

  • Três Corações Extra-Forte
Brazilian Coffee Is The Best?

This coffee is a go for those that love their coffee strong. Três Corações means “Three Hearts” and this top-seller brand is “extra-strong” (extra-forte in Portuguese).

It’s a very good coffee that I’ve used to drink a lot some years ago because my uncle worked at Três Corações (oh, what great times of free coffee, I miss it).

For 500 grams of Três Corações Extra-Forte here in Brazil you’ll pay only 1,77 USD (R$ 10,09).

  • Café Brasileiro

Last but not least on the ranking is Café Brasileiro, “Brazilian Coffee”. This is a classic that is part of the lives of a lot of Brazilians since 1974. One of the most traditional brands of coffee in Brazil.

They have a blend of mixed grains and origins and can be found in two types: the traditional and the extra-strong.

This is a great coffee for a daily basis and tastes good black of with milk. The price for 500 grams of Café Brasileiro is 1,53 USD (R$ 8,69).

How about a coffee right now?

Yeah, now that you know that Brazil is known for coffee, I bet that even if you’re not a coffee lover this article let you craving for a huge cup of coffee. That’s ok, I’m going to pick up one right now 🙂

If you ever come to Guarapuava, Brazil, I’ll pay you a cup of coffee. There’s not much to do around here, but well, who knows right?

If you liked this article, please, share it with a friend or let a comment down here. I’ll be pleased to read and answer you.

Also, check more amazing articles about Brazil by clicking here.

André

What’s up! I’m André, a Brazilian born and bred living in the South of Brazil in a little city called Guarapuava. I’m passionate about traveling and knowing different cultures and that’s why I love to share useful information about the Food, Travel, Facts, and Culture of my beloved country, Brazil.

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