Coffees from South America
South American coffees are highly regarded by coffee enthusiasts. Brazil is the world's largest producer, while Colombia is famous for its high-quality Arabicas. What makes coffee from this region so popular, and which familiar styles are worth exploring?
Growing conditions are an important part of the answer. Mountain locations, seasonal temperatures, sunshine and suitable humidity help produce coffees with distinctive flavours and expressive aromas.
Many familiar examples are associated with gentle acidity, an approachable body and nutty or chocolate notes, although the region offers far more variety than one flavour description can capture.
Colombian and Brazilian coffee
Brazil, Colombia and Peru are among South America's well-known origins. Brazil leads global coffee production, while Colombia is a major Arabica producer.
Colombian coffee often grows in mountainous areas on small family farms, where considerable care goes into bean quality. Washed processing is widely used: the cherries are depulped, the remaining mucilage is removed through appropriate fermentation and washing, and the beans are dried.
This labour-intensive approach helps reveal the clear character associated with many Colombian coffees. Colombian beans, including coffees sold as Supremo, also feature in many café blends.
Familiar descriptions include:
- Colombia Supremo: an expressive coffee with a sweet aroma, balanced body, mild acidity and nutty or lightly fruity notes.
- Colombia Excelso: often associated with an inviting caramel-and-chocolate character.
- Colombia Decaf: a lower-caffeine option that can retain a delicate flavour and gentle acidity.
These names are not all botanical varieties: Supremo and Excelso are trade or grading terms, while decaf describes processing.
Many Brazilian coffees use natural, or dry, processing, in which the fruit dries before the beans are removed. They are popular both on their own and as the foundation of espresso blends.
Two familiar choices are:
- Brazil Santos: sometimes affectionately called the “queen of coffees”, with a gentle, full flavour, honey-like sweetness, chocolate-and-nut notes, low acidity and little bitterness in a suitable roast.
- Brazil Yellow Bourbon: a balanced coffee that may show caramel, chocolate, a citrus accent and a toffee finish. It can work beautifully in espresso blends and espresso-machine brewing.
Photo by Mark Hillary via Flickr, under a Creative Commons licence.