According to the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA), the consumption of specialty coffee has been growing day by day. This makes producers increasingly specialize in this type of coffee. Check out the main regions producing specialty coffee in Brazil.
Alta Mogiana: It is a traditional region in coffee production. It covers municipalities in the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Its coffee has a striking and fruity aroma with hints of chocolate and nuts, a velvety and creamy body, a medium and well-balanced acidity, and a prolonged aftertaste with caramel sweetness and notes of bitter chocolate.
Bahia: The Planalto region is considered the most traditional region when it comes to Arabica coffee production. Its beans result in coffee drinks with a mild flavor, slightly chocolatey, a thin body and remarkable acidity.
Cerrado Mineiro: It encompasses 55 municipalities located in the regions of Triângulo, Alto Paranaíba and Northwest of Minas. It has a dry climate, which lowers the impact of moisture on coffee harvesting. The characteristics of this type of coffee are its intense aroma, with hints of caramel and nuts, delicate and citric acidity, full-body and sweet flavor, with hints of chocolate and long-lasting aftertaste.
Chapada Diamantina: The characteristics of this region are ideal for the cultivation of Arabica coffee, considering its average altitude of 850 meters and mild temperature. Many awarded cities are located in this region, such as Piatã, Poções and Ibicoara. The coffee produced here is full-bodied and velvety, sweet with citric acidity, and it has notes of nuts, chocolate and a lingering aftertaste sensation.
Mantiqueira de Minas: It has a centuries-old tradition and a worldwide reputation for producing high-quality specialty coffee, therefore today it is one of the most awarded regions in Brazil. The characteristics of this coffee are:
Wet-processed: citrus and floral notes, creamy and dense body, citrus acidity with medium-high intensity, high sweetness and lingering finish.
Dry-processed: citrus, floral, fruity, creamy and dense body, medium-high acidity and high sweetness.
South of Minas: It has mild temperature, high altitudes and artisanal coffee production. In the southwest region, the coffee has a medium body, high acidity, and sweetness with floral and citrus notes. In the mountains, it has a velvety body, high acidity, and sweetness with caramel, chocolate, almond, citrus and fruity notes.
Matas de Minas: Specialty coffee producers from this region export to places like Japan, Europe and the United States. Their coffee has a medium to full body, medium acidity, and high sweetness with a chocolatey aroma and citrus flavor.
Caparaó: The Serra do Caparaó region is more than 2,800 meters long and has in its altitude one of the main factors that enhance the quality of the coffee produced there. Moreover, the combination between its mountainous shapes and its variety of 100% Arabica coffee provides an enormous diversity of flavors and aromas, allowing the beans to have distinct sensory attributes and at the same time maintain the region’s DNA in sweetness, body and acidity.
