Café Pilao is a Brazilian coffee brand that is owned by the Jacobs Douwe Egberts Company. It is especially popular for its very fine granules, and very specific taste. Some users have described it as a perfect combination of spicy and sweet. Others have gone as far as stating that it tastes half-medicinal, and half-chocolatey.

Either way, it is no secret that Café Pilao is one of the best Coffee Brands from Brazil. Let’s find out more about this brand and the company behind it.

Brief Background Of Douwe Egberts

Jacobs Douwe Egberts is a Dutch company that owns and runs a list of beverage brands, across the world. These beverages are mainly coffee and tea. Tobacco is also one of the products that the company owns. However, two other shareholders further own the company. They include Acorn Holdings and Mondelez International.

The company started out as a grocery shop in the mid-1700’s, before it ventured into coffee, tea and tobacco. Initially, Egbert Douwe owned it, but passed it down to his eldest son, who named it Douwe Egberts.

Before the 1920’s, the company was mainly based in the Netherlands. However, the 20th century saw its expansion into a larger part of Europe. Some of the first regions for the expansion to take place included Belgium, France, and Spain.

In late 1960’s, JDE began buying coffee and tea manufacturing companies, such as Kanis and Gunnink, and Horniman’s Tea. With these new acquisitions, it was able to source out for tea and coffee from all over the world, including Brazil, in the case of Café Pilao.

Douwe Egberts Now

Since then, Jacobs Douwe Egberts has formed and broken corporate partnerships with many companies, including Consolidated Foods Corporation, which then became the Sara Lee Corporation.

However, as of 2015, the Douwe Egberts Company is only affiliated with Mondelez International, which is an American food company. Some of the other brands that are under the company include Bravo, Kenco, and Super Coffee, among others.

Conclusion

Café Pilao is a rich and widely celebrated Brazilian coffee brand, whose history is just as strong. Although harvesting, processing, and packaging happens in Brazil, it is a European company that owns it.

Santos Brazilian coffee is a blend of coffee that is harvested in Brazil, as its name suggests. It has a mild, earthy aftertaste that the consumer enjoys, after its sweet and light main taste.

Santos coffee has a large market in South America, but has gradually become a favorite in most North American states, such as Seattle.

Coffee Bean Direct Brief History

Coffee Bean Direct is the company behind Café Santos. This company deals with the whole process of making the coffee, from field to consumer.

Andrew Esserman is the founder and CEO of Coffee Bean Direct. Although he is a marketing major, he decided to venture into the coffee business, after realizing that there is a deficit in quality coffee.

He realized that most coffee shops supplied old and flavorless coffee, so he decided to bridge the gap. He did this by trying to shorten, as much as possible, the time between coffee roasting and consumption. He believed the fresher the coffee, the tastier it would be.

Coffee Bean Direct started out in 2004, in Stockton, New Jersey. Esserman used the internet to his advantage by reaching out to potential customers directly.

Unlike most companies who decide to use retailers, Esserman thought it best to look for a market immediately after the coffee was packed.

Coffee Bean Direct Activities

Coffee Bean Direct deals with three main products, i.e. coffee, tea, and green coffee. Café Santos is just one of the many brands that the company owns, produces, and supplies.

The company is popular because of its innovative brand flavors, including Sinful Delight, Seville Orange, and Raspberry.

Café Santos, like all other coffee brands under the company, is supplied in two forms: grounded powder or whole beans, depending on customer preference.

It should be noted that the difference with Coffee Bean Direct is that the products are only blended and packed when an order is made. This way, no flavors are lost, and no brands are kept waiting on shelves.

Conclusion

Café Santos qualifies as high quality coffee, thanks to the efficiency in its production process. Coffee Bean Direct has solved one of the major problems that most coffee consumers face, by ensuring the maintenance of coffee flavors, as much as possible.

Melitta, one of the most popular coffee brands in Brazil, offers an authentic taste of traditional Brazilian coffee. The company has production plants in Brazil, however, their corporate headquarters is located in Germany. They have divisions worldwide that either make coffee, or coffee accessories.

If you’re interested in what flavors of coffee they sell, or are just looking for some background information on the company, then this is the article for you.

A Staple On Brazilian Supermarket Shelves

Melitta can be found on the shelves of most supermarkets in Brazil, as it is a mass-market brand there. It is most often sold in the pre-grounded roasted variety, which is also imported to the United States, and is sold as a niche product.

You will also find capsules, beans, and pre-made coffee beverages, made by Melitta, throughout Brazil.

Several Coffee Flavors

They have many coffee flavors available to choose from. Whether you’re interested in a bitter coffee, one which is sweet, or a more acidic coffee, Melitta will be able to whet your appetite.

They also offer regional flavors throughout Brazil, adding certain elements to their coffee, which are particular to different areas.

Grown And Produced In Brazil

Melitta’s coffee is grown in a very fertile part of Brazil. Known for its biodiversity, this is perhaps the reason why many of their coffee beans are noted for their rich flavor!

Many “Brazilian” coffees are simply Brazilian style, but that is not the case with Melitta. It is also grounded and filtered in Bom Jesus and Avaré in southeastern Brazil, making it 100% authentically Brazilian.

Not Just Coffee!

However, they don’t just offer coffee. They also sell other coffee related accessories. These include coffee pots, brewers, mugs, and even heat-resistant glasses that you can drink coffee with!

They also have capsules for coffee machines, in all of their major flavors, so that those with automatic coffee machines can enjoy their rich, Brazilian flavor.

A Front-Runner In Brazilian Coffee

Anyone who has a passive knowledge of Brazilian coffee will have heard of Melitta coffee. Hopefully, this article has given you sufficient background information to know what they offer, and how they operate!

Brazil produces more coffee than any other country on Earth. This list includes some traditional and popular brands that either sell their coffee in Brazil, the United States, or both. Most of these brands are consumed regularly in Brazil, and the others are more expensive coffees for coffee lovers to try.

Here are five brilliantly delicious Brazilian coffee brands for you to try:

#1. Café Pilão

A very flavorful coffee, Café Pilão is a nutty, smooth-tasting and traditional Brazilian coffee. Pilão coffee dates as far back as 1753, with the beans being harvested from the most fertile coffee planting regions in Brazil.

It is marketed as “forte”, the Brazilian word for ‘strong’, so if you are new to Brazilian coffee, one of the tamer coffees on the list could perhaps be a starting point.

Furthermore, it is the closest to an “authentic” tasting coffee that Brazilians would consume at home, so if you’re looking to try something that represents true Brazilian coffee, then this is it.

Café Pilão is arguably the most well-known coffee brand in Brazil, and the company has also had widespread success throughout the rest of the world since the 1970s.

#2. Brazil Santos

Brazil Santos, so-named because it is shipped from the Santos port in Brazil, has chocolate and nut flavored varieties available. It smells very sweet, with hints of cocoa. This is a premium Brazilian coffee, which is well-known throughout the country for being one of the highest quality on offer. The quality is accentuated if it is freshly roasted.

Freshly roasted Brazil Santos is widely regarded to be one of the best coffee drinking experiences of all coffees. The light flavor makes it an excellent starting choice for someone who is just beginning to get into drinking coffee, or Brazilian coffee.

And also, like several other coffees on this list, Brazil Santos is a coffee tradition that has lasted over a century.

#3. Brown Gold 100% Brazilian

Brown Gold’s ethos is to bring the pure taste of South American coffees, including Brazil, Colombia and Peru, to western markets, without combining them with other flavors.

If you’re interested in Brazilian coffee in its “pure” form, without having other elements of western coffee added to them, then Brown Gold 100% Brazilian will be perfect.

A very dark roasted coffee, its flavor could be defined as “bittersweet”, and it is very robust and complex. Brown Gold coffee comes with additional benefits, if you’re interested in humanitarian efforts. They are investing a certain percentage of their profits toward providing better access to water for over 250,000 Ethiopian residents.

Ultimately, if you like rather dark, traditional Brazilian coffee, then Brown Gold’s 100% Brazilian coffee should be right up your alley.

#4. Illy Whole Bean Brazilian

Probably the most acidic coffee of those mentioned in this article, Illy Whole Bean Brazilian has a very intense flavor, with a caramel aftertaste. Intended for coffee connoisseurs, according to manufacturer Illy, their goal is to create poetry in coffee bean form. The coffee beans are grown at a high-altitude, and are sustainably sourced from southeastern Brazil.

It is also noted to have a very full and intense aroma, which is a much-loved staple of Brazilian coffee. The coffee is sold directly in the form of beans, rather than being pre-ground before shipping.

$5. Café Melitta

Café Melitta is a finely ground, roasted Brazilian coffee, and is regarded as something of a jack-of-all-trades coffee. It offers medium acidity, with a slight fruity taste, medium bitterness, medium sweetness, and a fairly mild aroma, combined with some boldness.

This one might not necessarily be for the coffee aficionado, as it is a fairly commercial, pre-grounded coffee, which is intended for the mass market in Brazil. However, that should not stop you from giving this blend, which is one of the two best-selling coffee brands in Brazil, a try.

Melitta also offers a comprehensive range of other South American coffee products, if you’re thinking of trying another type of South American coffee.

They also offer many authentically made Brazilian coffee products, such as paper filters, and coffee that is ready-made.

Final Thoughts

So, there are clearly a wide range of different Brazilian coffees out there for you to try! Whether you’re interested in a milder variety that best represents what would be on supermarket shelves in Brazil, or you’re a coffee connoisseur who is looking for a more obscure coffee, there is something for everyone!

Coffee has become a popular and addictive beverage that everyone can’t seem to live without. People often reach for their cup of coffee in the morning to energize and rejuvenate them throughout the day.

Over 12 billion pounds of coffee are produced each year, and chemicals are often used to keep the coffee free from pests, and to help increase shelf life.

However, with all these chemicals, we begin to have concerns about it being a health hazard. Fortunately, with organic coffee, we won’t have to experience that fear that we have with regular coffee.

Even though organic coffee is more expensive, it is well worth the price, and here are the reasons why:

Organic Coffee Is Healthier And Tastes Better

Regular coffee often has a strong metallic taste, whereas organic coffee tastes more natural and pure. Because it is grown without chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, and other additives, it is sold in its purest form.

It is, therefore, healthier and safer than regular coffee. It also has antioxidants, extra vitamins, and minerals to keep our bodies strong.

People who drink organic coffee on a daily basis have often felt a major energy boost, compared to drinking regular coffee.

Less Harmful Side Effects

We are more likely to have an allergic reaction or stomach ache from the chemicals, pesticide, and additives that are mixed in with regular coffee.

Plus, various studies have indicated that these dangerous chemicals can cause cancer, and damage your nervous and reproductive systems.

Not only that, our bodies can hide these chemicals in our fat to utilize them for energy. This can be harmful if those chemicals are accumulated at a high amount in our fat cells.

However, with organic coffee, we are less likely to experience these detrimental side effects.

Organic Coffee Will Not Affect Your Child’s Development

High school students are often drinking a cup of coffee, just like their parents. They are at the stage of development where puberty is driving them crazy. Unfortunately, with regular coffee, it contains a high amount of hormones that can affect the developmental process of these kids.

Luckily, with organic coffee, there aren’t any hormones, so it will not mess with your child’s body development.

It’s Better For The Environment

Organic coffee is healthier and better for the environment, because they don’t use chemicals that deplete the environment and provide detrimental results to people who live on, and use coffee in the farming industry.

Regular coffee promotes the deforestation which can destroy various species’ habitats and food supply.

Antioxidants

Organic coffee contains more antioxidants than regular coffee. Antioxidants help reduce wrinkles, strengthen your immune system, and fight off cancer. It also provides a protective defense mechanism for the body.

Farming Benefits

Farmers who produce organic coffee, which is compliant with Fair Trade standards, are often given a higher pay rate than farmers who utilize regular coffee.

Conclusion

Coffee is an amazing beverage that is sold worldwide. It plays an important role in helping us stay focused and be more productive. For best coffee reviews, make sure to come back every day for new information on our site.

However, non-organic coffee tends to have a higher amount of chemical, hormones, pesticides, and herbicides that can be harmful to your body.

Organic coffee, on the other hand, does not contain all these additives, so they are a much healthier choice for any coffee lover.

A good idea is to always make sure your coffee is fresh, so you can enjoy the best cup of coffee possible. Coffee is a perishable product. After the beans are roasted, they start losing freshness, and its natural aromas and flavors are diminished.

So, the sooner you use your beans, the better. After roasting, adequately stored coffee beans can last for around a month. Alternatively, ground coffee lasts for about two weeks after roasting.

The difference is due to the higher surface area of ground coffee, which is more than that of whole beans. This means that ground coffee is more prone to moisture, air, light, and heat.

In this article, we will discuss how to properly store coffee, whether it’s ground or whole beans.

#1. Prevent Access To Air, Light, And Moisture

The key here is to keep the coffee fresh, whether it is whole beans or ground. This is achieved by keeping it away from agents of deterioration, which are air, heat, moisture, and light.

After opening a package of coffee, don’t leave it inside and instead, store it in an air-tight container. You can use ordinary kitchen canisters to store the coffee, as long as they can be tightly closed. Using specially designed, airtight storage containers ensure better results.

Avoid moisture by ensuring that the coffee is stored in a dry location. Excess humidity accelerates the deterioration process. Excessive exposure of coffee to moisture leads to a sour taste and aroma. Also, keep your coffee away from heat until it is brewed. Too much exposure to heat accelerates the breakdown of the coffee flavor.

If you store coffee on top of the kitchen counter, or in the kitchen cabinet, make sure there is no stove or oven near it. Similarly, avoid sunny locations, like near the window. Additionally, glass containers are not a good option for coffee storage, as they allow light penetration. You can opt to keep the canisters in a pantry cabinet, or anywhere away from light.

Opaque canisters are the best option. After you put your coffee in a opaque container, you can comfortably put it on top of the kitchen counter, with no worry about deterioration from light.

#2. Choose The Right Sized Container

The air in half empty jars of coffee, whether it is airtight or not, can also cause damage to its taste. So, choose a canister that corresponds to the volume of coffee that you have. The majority of containers hold between 250 to 500 grams.

#3. Don’t Switch Containers

If the coffee you purchased comes in proper packaging, there is no need to transfer it to another container. Most packaging containers provide the correct storage, which is airtight and opaque.

Some coffee roasters package their coffee in special containers, with a permeable valve. This enables gases to be released, after coffee roasting, to escape and at the same time, stopping air entry.

#4. Store Coffee In The Freezer, Not The Fridge

There is a widespread myth that coffee remains fresh if put it in the refrigerator. This is wrong, because it is actually the opposite.

As discussed above, moisture or humidity affects coffee. Every time the fridge is opened, moisture condenses on the container, and if it gets into contact with the coffee, it will spoil the taste.

Instead, store your coffee in the freezer and make sure you first pack it in a plastic bag. This will ensure that there’s no air trapped inside.

Conclusion

Conclusively, knowing the correct ways of keeping coffee fresh is not exactly rocket science. The best thing is to buy the right amount of coffee and store it correctly, to guarantee a great tasting coffee.

For discerning coffee aficionados, each cup that they drink is a beautiful experience. This is why the type of coffee that is in their cups is so important.

It all comes down to what type of coffee you prefer, i.e. single farm coffee or blended coffee. Both have their good qualities, but in terms of knowing exactly what you’re getting, single farm is what you want to be drinking.

A comparison of the two varieties will confirm why there’s such a clear-cut verdict on this one, which we will explain below. By the way, if you love reading coffee reviews and staying in the know, check us out on the daily!

What Is Single Farm Coffee?

Just like the name suggests, single farm coffee is obtained from a single farm. This can be broken down even further, in the case of micro lot coffees, which are obtained from individual fields within the same farm.

Naturally, the uniqueness of the product narrows down to the growing conditions, soil quality, rain levels, and fruit maturation levels, all of which combine to give an individual coffee its signature taste.

In terms of production, single farm coffee requires that the roasting of the entire batch of beans will involve just the beans from an individual field.

Wet processing is typically used for the highest quality coffees, as this assures the retention of the beans’ natural flavors, and the attainment of a crisp, clean taste.

Considering that such a coffee can only be obtained from a single source, the implication is that its availability is exclusively limited to certain times of the year.

Understandably, many keen connoisseurs are now insistent on knowing the finer details of a coffee’s origin and flavor, i.e. traceability, including the name of the growing cooperative, and the particular farm and field from which the beans were picked.

What Is Blended Coffee?

The roasting and mixing of coffee beans sourced from different locations, whether globally or regionally, results in a coffee blend. They are mostly not quality beans, but some good beans can be included to make the coffee taste better.

Considering that it’s impossible to find a bean variety that’s consistently good, blending helps to achieve a desired balance.  Nevertheless, the attainment of great results, or otherwise depends on the individual bean varieties that have gone into the mix.

The production of blended coffees effectively addresses the typical issues that would have to be contended with, if the world preferred to only drink single source coffees.

With blended coffees, coffee roasters are in a position to meet the need for overall better tasting, well-rounded coffees, and boost prospects of profitability (mostly via enhancing the qualities of inferior coffees).

It also mitigates concerns that may arise, following coffee production and quality mishaps, and to assure the ongoing consistency of a particular coffee offer.

Last, but not least, many such coffee roasters have been able to achieve commercial success through clever branding and packaging, and this is despite not offering a product of the very best quality.

Why Is Single Farm Coffee Better Than Blended Coffee?

Among many coffee lovers, it is widely agreed that drinking blended coffee results in a more flavorful experience. There’s much truth in this, especially when your cup is the work of a talented roaster.

Here, the mix of bean types is bound to result in a creative and delightful combination of aromas, textures and flavors. However, that will depend on what brand you buy, and how quality the beans are. Blends can come from anywhere, so you never truly know what you’re getting.

Drinking single farm coffee, however, results in a completely different experience, one that no blended coffee can ever hope to match. This is all about enjoying a cup of high quality coffee in its most sincere form, with every sip giving you the opportunity to confirm the coffee’s origin story with your taste buds.

Sure, many of these coffees are quite pricey, but rest assured that you’ll get your money’s worth. You’ll know the growing process, the care the farmer took in processing the beans, and they’ll all be from one place, with a great flavor.

There is certainly no lack of possibilities with single farm coffees; every farm’s offering is unique, exotic, exclusive, and full of character.

For every coffee enthusiast, this is definitely a license for adventure, away from the safety of toned down, and rounded, blended coffees.

You really can’t be sure what to expect, but you’ll at least be ready for flavors that are best described using terms like vibrant, robust, fruity, floral, bold, and sharp.

You can experiment with different brewing techniques, including cold drip and french press, to highlight these flavor nuances.

Traceability further enhances the experience; the transparency lets you relax in the knowledge that you’re drinking good stuff, which the producers are very proud of.

Conclusion

Your decision to go with single farm coffees, or blended coffees, boils down to what you want to experience. If you desire consistency, and are not big on surprises, then single farm will do. If you’re more into sampling the world’s unique coffees and have an adventurous, curious palate, then go for blended coffees. You can’t really go wrong with either!

If your relationship with coffee is more complex than simply pulling through the Starbucks drive-through and ordering a Venti Latte for the road, then you probably have heard of Fair Trade and Direct Trade coffee.

Fair Trade and Direct Trade refer to two different ways to source coffee, but not everyone who tosses the two terms around knows exactly what they mean, and how they interact with one another.

Today on Jiale Coffee, we introduce you to both terms, and then make a suggestion as to which is better, as far as ongoing sustainability goes.

What Is Fair Trade Coffee?

“Fair Trade” refers to coffee growers who have received certification from Fair Trade USA, whose aim is to improve the quality of life for coffee farmers, and the workers that they employ.

Coffee farmers must pay a wage that provides an adequate quality of life for their workers, and they have to agree to adopt business practices that are ethical. They also have to utilize cultivation strategies that optimize environmental sustainability.

There are different ways for coffee farmers to meet those standards, depending on what part of the world they grow coffee in. As long as they meet these standards, they can put a “Fair Trade” label on their packaging.

Many discerning consumers are willing to pay more for Fair Trade coffee, because they understand that the farmers do a more sustainable job of preserving the environment, and that they deal fairly with their own employees.

When you buy Fair Trade coffee, Fair Trade USA gets a small percentage of the purchase. This pays for their expenses in employing professionals who send funds out to meet the needs of communities around the globe, such as schools, health clinics, and other initiatives.

However, you may have noticed one thing missing from the list of standards for Fair Trade coffee, and that is quality. So, as long as a coffee farmer runs his or her business the right way, that farmer can earn Fair Trade certification, even if the coffee is not very good.

Fair Trade USA is working to add quality requirements to their certification, but that will not likely be in place until 2020, or later.

Free Trade coffee also goes through middlemen, who take a large chunk of the profits, and this is a point of difference between Free Trade and Direct Trade.

What is Direct Trade Coffee?

With Direct Trade coffee, farmers sell their beans directly to coffee roasters, without any money going through an import/export agency.

This means that farmers receive more money for their coffee (because there is no middleman to take a sizable chunk of it). When they make coffee that is top-notch, they benefit even more.

The downside with Direct Trade is that there is no standard method for roasters and farmers to do business. One roaster may travel to the farm and literally meet the farmer, while another roaster might rely on the word of a third party, who goes to see the farm, but does not formally fulfill the role of middleman.

When a roasting company representative goes to the farm to see how things are done there, that represents the most authentic form of direct trade.

Conclusion

So which is better? Well, Fair Trade coffee is only raised by farmers who treat their employees well, so that fights poverty. However, Direct Trade also puts more money in the hands of the farmers, so one could also argue that poverty is on the wane there as well.

In present circumstances, because Fair Trade has more regulations, as far as standardization goes, it appears to be the more ethical choice, as far as worker treatment and sustainability goes.

However, if Direct Trade can add most of the same attributes as Fair Trade, it would be hard to argue against that as well.