SOUTH AMERICA

Brazil is the world's biggest coffee producing country and has had that title for 150 years. It’s climate, land mass, population and ease of export all lead to the coffee producing giant that today grows one third of the overall coffee world wide. Coffee in Brazil is far more than a crop or a drink, it is deeply entwined in its culture and history.

It has also historically played a huge role in international markets, during the great depression of the 1930’s Brazil was producing 80% of the worlds coffee and ended up burning 78 million bags of stockpiled coffee in an effort to invigorate coffee prices.

The Brazilian coffee industry today is around 3.5 million people strong and has around 220,000 coffee farms of various sizes. While you can find many small holder farms in Brazil, the country was the first and still leads the way in industrialised coffee production. 

While in the majority of the coffee growing countries of the world, the coffee cherry is picked by hand, in Brazil the large farms operate huge machinery to pick the coffee. The benefit of this is the massive quantities of coffee that can be harvested at once (the machines shake the cherries loose from the branches.

This leads on to the downside of this technique which is, all of the cherries are harvested at once whether ripe or not. Although processing the coffee in certain ways can separate the ripe coffee, the invasive nature of the harvest coupled with the relatively low altitude of many Brazilian farms compromise on the overall flavour.

High quality coffee can be traced back to the exact coffee farm however considering the size of certain farms and the amount of coffee they produce it isn’t always the same quality as other countries.

Typically, Brazilian coffee beans are found in espresso blends across the world. This is because of it’s low acidity, sweet nutty flavour and chocolatey notes as well as it’s fairly low price point. This is true for many Brazilian coffees, however there is a small percentage of unique and interesting coffees that make it out of Brazil and due to the multitude of Brazilian coffee a small percentage is actually quite a lot. I have experienced some fantastic naturals in the past that posses intense sweetness and stone fruit flavours while also presenting a depth in body.

 Photo; Tremr

Check out some Brazilian coffees recently reviewed:

Probably the most well marketed coffee growing country in the world, Colombian coffee beans have always been one of the most sought after. Thanks to advertising campaigns in the US in the 50’s and 60’s, Colombian coffee has since then been recognised as quality coffee.

Nowadays Colombia is the third largest coffee growing region in the World with over 2 million Colombians working in the industry.

Unlike its neighbour to the East, Colombia has many smallholder coffee farmers, with 60% of Colombian coffee farmers cultivating land of less than 1 hectare. This obviously is exciting news to any speciality coffee roaster as there are many different micro-lots to discover.

With the boom in speciality coffee over the last decade, government or privately funded programs are incentivising Colombian coffee farmers to produce higher quality coffee rather than higher yielding commercial grade coffee. 

Colombian coffee beans as you would expect with the amount of smallholders has an array of flavours and profiles to offer. From the more heavier coffee’s that were traditionally marketed as high quality Colombian coffee in the 50’s through to the more delicate and complex varieties that are more recently coming out of Colombia.

A country that has coffee running through its veins is also at the forefront of coffee innovation, with many techniques unique to Colombia producing some fascinating results. Naturally processed Colombian coffee is always one of my favourites, typically a richer and heavier body than other naturals, notes of caramel, vanilla and berries are common.

Photo; After a days coffee picking with Manuel, our charismatic coffee farmer and Colombian power ballad singer. In Manizales, Colombia.

Check out some Colombian coffees recently reviewed:

Not quite as famous on the speciality coffee scene as some other South American countries, Ecuador does have potential. Factors including low productivity, changing the currency to the dollar and high production costs have led to a declining coffee industry in Ecuador, however with many fertile lands at desirable altitudes it may only take a little investment to generate more speciality coffee in Ecuador.

Traceability is fairly poor in Ecuador but lots traced back to a group of producers can still be good.

The high quality Ecuadorian coffee’s possess sweet flavours and delicate acidity. Mainly well balanced with notes of stone fruit and the occasional floral characteristic. Overall enjoyable and satisfying coffees. 

Photo; Dublin Roasters Coffee

A country blessed with epic landscapes, mysterious history and many different cultures, Peru has an enormous amount of places to be explored. It is also one of the largest coffee producing countries in the world. As in many Latin American countries Peru has experienced a fairly turbulent past and the coffee industry has at times suffered because of the countries circumstance.

In the 70’s when the government pulled out their support of the industry, coffee production sank, with very little infrastructure existing. Although Peruvian coffee production has now fully recovered from the lows of the 70’s, infrastructure still remains a problem in certain areas of the country, in particular logistics.

Some farms have to transport unprocessed coffee to mills that are situated much further away than typically desired. With the tourism industry booming and Peruvian cuisine amongst the most talked about in the world, more speciality coffee is staying put in Peru.

The progressive nature of the country is also leading to pioneering coffee farming and processing, biodynamic coffee is one of a few techniques that the Peruvian coffee industry is now using.

Taste profiles of Peruvian coffee beans are normally light in body with mild acidity, they can be flavourful and aromatic but don’t hold the complexity that some other origins in the Americas can possess. The northern region of Cajamarca has recently produced some exciting coffees, with its desirable geography and terroir the coffees have balanced acidity with a pleasant sweetness.

Photo; Olam Speciality Coffee

Check out some Peruvian coffees recently reviewed

Bolivia is another country with enormous potential to become a world class speciality coffee producing country. It’s climate, altitude and fertile land make it a perfect place to grow coffee, however the overall export of coffee is declining every year.

With the economy struggling and the price for coffee unable to out-do that of coca, farmers aren’t to blame for exchanging their crop. However, in recent years external funding has brought new washing stations to the country alongside incentives for farmers to grow higher quality coffee like the introduction of the cup of excellence. 

The traceability of Bolivian coffee is very good, most coffees can be traced right the way back to the individual farm or cooperative. This makes for some unique coffees. Predominantly clean in the cup they sometimes struggle to obtain sharp acidity but have a wonderful sweet-toned finish and overall balanced. 

Photo; Coffee Hunter