We turn our attention to the Brazilian specialty coffee, which will not leave you indifferent
What do you usually associate with Brazil – the largest country in South America? We’re sure it’s probably football, samba, coffee…
That’s right – coffee! Brazil is the world’s largest producer and supplier of coffee, with the country producing 1/3 of all coffee production on the planet. The plantations there cover more than 27,000 square kilometers, and it is not by chance that Brazil is called the “country of coffee”. Most of the plantations are located in the southeastern part of the South American country, in the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná, where the environment and climate provide the best conditions for cultivation.
Brazil and coffee – an unrelenting love
The first coffee beans landed in Brazil in the 18th century. According to legend, this happened thanks to Governor Francisco de Mello Palto, who received seeds from Guiana and planted them very close to the city of Salvador.
According to legend, the Portuguese ruling Brazil at the time wanted to enter the coffee market, but were unable to obtain seeds from neighboring French Guiana due to the reluctance of the local government to share this product with them. Coat is then sent on a diplomatic mission to French Guiana, where he secretly manages to smuggle coffee seeds back to Brazil, seducing the wife of the governor of French Guiana, who secretly gives him a bouquet sprinkled with seeds. Of course, this is mostly a legend, so we are not sure of the historical authenticity of the story.
Already in the 18th century, however, coffee reached Rio de Janeiro, but it was produced only for local consumption. This changed in the 19th century, when demand in North America and Europe increased significantly, leading to the world’s first “coffee boom”. Gradually, coffee plantations in Brazil increased significantly in size, and as early as 1830, the South American country already produced 30% of the world’s coffee.
Initially, plantation work was done primarily by slaves, but when the slave trade was outlawed in 1850, plantation owners turned to emigrants from Europe to fill their labor needs.
At the beginning of the 20th century, coffee production already represented as much as 16% of Brazil’s gross domestic product, and the largest producers were given a serious role even in the country’s politics.
Brazilian coffee – aromatic and with a balanced taste
Regardless of whether you buy Brazilian coffee beans or ground coffee, one thing is certain – you will be happy to enjoy a rich aroma, balanced taste and generally low acidity. These are distinctive features of Brazilian coffee. Delicate notes of chocolate and nuts are often felt, and in the best varieties there are also hints of grapes and dried fruit. The main factor for this is the good climatic conditions in the Country of Coffee, as well as the excellent and fertile soil. The height of the sea level also contributes positively.
In Brazil, coffee is grown in large plantations, which the locals call “fazendas”. Over time, the South American country integrated increasingly modern methods of coffee cultivation. It can be said that today coffee is a primordial part of Brazilian culture, and we all know it more than well.
Did you know that the Cup of Excellence was born in Brazil?
As if symbolically, because of all the importance of Brazil to the world coffee industry, the first ever edition of the most prestigious specialty coffee competition, the Cup of Excellence, takes place there.
It happened in 1999 when Brazil hosted the historic first Cup of Excellence event. The competition was born as a result of a global effort aimed at farmers producing specialty coffee to receive an increasingly decent wage for their tireless work. One of the people behind the birth of the COE idea is Marcelo Vieira – President of the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA).
In 2002, Brazil made another strong contribution to the development of the specialty coffee industry, financially supporting the development of the non-profit organization Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), which in turn began to manage the increasingly popular Cup of Excellence competition. It was Marcelo Vieira who was the first president of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, which reaffirms Brazil’s strong role in the development of the specialty coffee industry.
The adventures in Brazil of coffee seeker Yordan Dabov
Of course, today Brazil also takes a leading role in the production of specialty coffee – the industry that unites all of us at DABOV Specialty Coffee.
Our coffee seeker Yordan Dabov had the opportunity to see for himself the quality of Brazilian specialty coffee by visiting Brazil 1-2 times a year.
However, there is a backstory to all of this. Jordan has always had warm feelings for Brazil, because in 2013, it was there that he was for the first time part of the international jury of the most prestigious specialty coffee competition in the world, the Cup of Excellence. In the following years, he returned to Brazil again and again, joining the jury.
In 2015, while searching for Brazil’s best specialty coffee, Jordan discovered one of the most recognizable Brazilian coffees and among DABOV Specialty Coffee’s customers – Brazil Alliance. It is characterized by a rich and rich chocolate flavor, but there are also shades of almonds, a hint of biscuits and a toffee finish. About him, our coffee, our searcher says: “This coffee is a mother who can hug absolutely any child.”
About Brazilians, Jordan likes to say that the most impressive thing is the very way they think about coffee and treat the production process. “They are not only the largest coffee producer in the world, but also the most motivated.” He shared that Brazilians are not afraid to invest in new technologies to optimize work processes as much as possible. Jordan says: “Brazilians are constantly thinking about how to create more resistant varieties. How to cut costs. How to produce better and better coffee”.
In 2019, he was invited to the 20th anniversary of the Cup Of Excellence, which was held again in Brazil – the place where the whole idea of discovering the best coffees in a given country was created.
Fazenda Alliance – built on the philosophy of specialty coffee
Today, Brazil not only produces specialty coffee, but also makes it according to the most important principles of specialty coffee in general. An example of this is the large plantation Fazenda Alianza, where the production process is directly related to the well-being of people, and the attitude towards the environment is as sparing as possible. Initially, the plantation was created in the middle of the jungle already in the 19th century, but with the continuous flow of labor, it gradually became first a settlement, and today – a city.
In 2019, our coffee seeker Yordan Dabov personally introduced chef Andre Tokev to coffee and the atmosphere at Fazenda Alliance, where the two filmed a special episode of the culinary show “Food Hunters”. There, the two were personally greeted by the farm’s owner, Renato San, who is a member of Brazil’s large Japanese expatriate community.
Today, there are more than 900,000 coffee producers in Brazil, cementing the country’s status as the leading producer of this product worldwide! This, of course, also includes mass coffee producers, but nevertheless, the figure remains impressive.
Brazilian specialty coffee at the DABOV store
You can also find specialty coffee from Brazil in the DABOV Specialty Coffee shop.
We recommend you try Brazil Samambaya coffee, which is among the best specialty coffees produced in the country. You will enjoy the sweetness of cocoa liquor, but enriched with hints of hazelnut and cane sugar.
What makes this espresso coffee really worth it? Let’s start with the fact that the farm that produces it has won the prestigious Cup of Excellence three times, and our coffee seeker Yordan Dabov has the chance to meet the producer Enrique Kamambaya. He personally tested his product, and in 2022 we finally had the opportunity to present it to you.
Well, this is just a small part of the rich history of Brazilian coffee. It’s impressive, isn’t it? Brazilians are an example that when you do something with love, motivation and consistency, it cannot help but lead to positive results. And in this case – to a cup of good coffee.
In 2022, we also bought the pioneer Silvio Leite’s coffee
In 2022, we also managed to fight for the coffee of one of the biggest figures in the Brazilian specialty coffee industry – Silvio Leyte. With more than 40 years of experience in the field, he is considered one of the pioneers of the global specialty coffee movement.
In 1999, Leyte played an important role in the founding of the Cup of Excellence, after becoming one of the people who created all the technical protocols of the competition. Today, he still serves as COE Chief Judge, sharing his wealth of experience and expertise.
Today Silvio Leyte’s farm CERCA DE PEDRAS SÃO BENEDITO is located in Chapada Diamantina, State of Bahia, at an altitude of 1,270 meters. Its six hectares produce Red and Yellow Katwai coffees, and the processing methods used are natural, washed, fermented and honey.
In 2022, DABOV Specialty Coffee managed to compete in the specialty coffee auction from the Piata region in the state of Bahia. We won coffee #4 from the farm CERCA DE PEDRAS SÃO BENEDITO, together with two companies from South Korea and Thailand.
Expect interesting news…
In just a few days, the auction of the Cup of Excellence 2023 Brazil will take place, and very soon we will surprise you with interesting news related to our participation in it!
