Brazil
Whilst Brazil produces roughly one third of the
worlds’ coffee, it used to be the case that most of it was low
quality Robusta but now Brazil produces quality Arabicas too.
Whilst initially the Brazilians followed the principal of
price before quality, things have changed however and there are
some excellent Arabica coffees grown around the Sao Paulo region,
where the well know Santos or Bourbon Santos beans (after the
variety of coffee plant) are produced.
Another popular variety is the Rio, a dry-processed bean with a
characteristic medicinal-like flavour deriving from the invasion of
micro-organisms during drying.
This unusual taste is considered a defect by most western coffee
buyers, but is much revered by buyers from the Balkans and
Middle-Eastern countries. Brazil is also the home of one very
unique coffee – the Jacu Bird Bean. This is similar (but superior)
to the Luwak coffee from Sumatra in that the ripe coffee cherry is
first eaten by the Jacu bird (a type of pheasant) and the hard core
of the cherry is passed through it’s digestive system and deposited
near the coffee tree where it is collected. Unsurprisingly only a
tiny quantity of this (very expensive) bean is exported.
colombia
Until a few years ago Colombia was the second largest coffee
producer in the world, but thanks to deregulation and massive
growth, Vietnam has moved into second position behind Brazil.
Nevertheless Colombia produces a huge amount of excellent and
consistent quality - predominately Arabica - beans each year. It
is, in fact, the worlds’ largest producer of Arabica coffees. The
standard Colombian coffee is wet-processed, and is grown by small
farmers or smallholders - mostly in the three main mountain ranges
(called cordilleras) - and collected, processed, milled and
exported by the Colombian Coffee Federation. It is sold by grade
(Supremo being the highest, Extra, second highest, and Excelso, a
combination of the two) rather than by market name or region. It is
all well balanced, has excellent consistency and can range from a
superb, high-grown, mildly fruity flavour, to a rather ordinary,
yet still fruity coffee from the lower regions. The Colombian
coffee industry has a well-deserved reputation for quality. Other
bean names are Bogotá, Bucaramanga, Cucuta and Narino.
peru
Despite domestic political problems, Peru still manages to
figure among the top ten coffee producers in the world.
The best Peruvian coffees are high grown Arabicas, which are
flavourful, aromatic, gentle, and mildly acidy, and they are highly
valued for their blending properties. Chanchamayo and Urubamba, are
the best-known market names.
ecuador
In 2007, Ecuador produced nearly a million bags of both Arabica
and Robusta coffees. These coffees are medium-bodied and fairly
acidy, with a straightforward flavour typical of most Central and
South American coffee. Whilst the country has everything to produce
top quality coffees, in fact most of the coffee exported is aimed
at low price rather than high quality. A considerable amount of
coffee is however consumed within the country.
venezuela
Prior to realising it was sitting on a fortune in liquid black
gold, Venezuela ranked close to Colombia in coffee production, but
in the 1960s and 70s, oil production quickly relegated coffee to
the economic back burner.
Today, Venezuela produces only about 7% of its similar sized
neighbour (Colombia) and the Venezuelans themselves drink most of
that. Unsurprisingly the best Arabica Venezuelan coffee comes from
the far western corner of the country - the part that borders
Colombia. Coffees from this area are usually called Maracaibos,
after the port through which they are shipped.
The best-known Maracaibo coffees are Caracus, Cúcuta, Mérida,
Trujillo, and Táchira. Regardless of market name, the highest
grade of Venezuela coffee is Lavado Fino, (fine washed).