Last updated on October 26th, 2023 at 20:01
If you want to learn what is cafezinho, how to make it and get some good information about what beans to use to make it at home, this article is for you.
You’ll be pleased to know that it is a very easy coffee to make at home and I have included a nice and easy cafezinho recipe!
Keep reading for the details.
What Is Cafezinho?
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When you directly translate Cafezinho from Brazilian Portuguese you get the English meaning, little coffee.
But,
that is only the literal translation. Effectively and within Brazilian culture, cafezinho means much more; it’s a sign of the warm welcoming spirit of Brazilian hospitality as this small Brazilian coffee will be offered to you as you enter all kinds of establishments and for all kinds of reasons.
Have a business meeting?
You’ll be offered a small Brazilian coffee while you await your meeting, and probably another as it starts.
Got a job interview?
The same will happen, you’ll quickly be offered a Brazilian cafezinho.
At work?
You won’t wait long before someone offers you a cafezinho, and you’ll be offered it often throughout the working day.
Visiting a high-end designer shopping mall?
Yes, even there, someone will follow you around and offer you a cafezinho.
Naturally, you’ll be offered the famous little Brazilian coffee when you enter the home of a Brazilian friend.
It is said that a cafezinho is an acquired taste, you either love it or you don’t sort of like marmite. I find this to be only partially true. If you get one from a street stall or regular coffee shop you will find it to be strong and bitter with the bitterness of cheap, low quality beans toned down with the use of rapadura.
Conversely, if you try a Brazilian cafezinho at a gourmet coffee shop you will experience a much better coffee and one that can be rather tasty and easy to enjoy due to the much better flavor.
Read: How to make a cafezinho
Cafezinho Coffee – Recommended Brazilian Coffee Beans
Since a cafezinho is the stand-out classic and traditional Brazilian coffee, it stands to reason that you really should use a coffee bean from the country to make it.
You have no excuse! Approximately ⅓ rd of all the coffee produced in the world comes from Brazilian coffee plantations! It’s not as if it is hard to find!
The results are achieved using premium quality whole beans with a preference for single origin.
Here are some suggestions and recommendations:
- Brazilian Peaberry By Volcanica: A rich flavorsome coffee grown in mineral-rich volcanic soil. 100% Peaberry.
- Cooper’s Cask Brazilian Espresso Cremoso: A single origin high quality with hints of cherry and orange and lingering flavors of brown sugar.
- Brazil Minas Naturais By Peet’s Coffee: A Brazilian coffee with chocolate notes and nutty notes and is notably fruity.
- Café Caboclo ‘Torrado e Moido’: A great everyday coffee that you will see in Brazilian coffee shops and homes. It’s not an exceptional coffee, but it is better than the low-end cheap coffee beans.
- Pilao Coffee Traditional Roast: This is a very affordable coffee and is one of the most popular in the Latin American nation and makes great cafezinho.
A word on Peaberry coffee. Peaberry coffee is a natural genetic mutation where only one bean is grown in the coffee cherries. Due to not having a “twin” bean, all the nutrients, beneficial compounds and flavor go to the one bean. Which makes it a full of flavor coffee.
A volcanic Peaberry is even rarer and better still as it is grown in high quality mineral-rich soil.
Cafezinho Nespresso Capsule
The Cafezinho do Brazil Nespresso capsule is an incredibly good cafezinho. It’s so good I’ll go as far as saying it is one of the best.
It’s an omni-roast of 4 different beans from all over Brazil, including Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo and other locations across Brazil. It’s intense with a rating of 9 out of 13 on the intensity rating scale. It’s rich, tasty and with peculiar notes of sandalwood and walnut with some very unusual herbal flavors of rosemary and thyme.
If you have a Nespresso single serve coffee maker or one of your friends has a Nespresso coffee maker, and you see these limited edition Nespresso Cafezinho, grab them and get brewing. You’ll both love it.
Read: How to make Brazilian cafezinho
Cafezinho Recipe
This cafezinho recipe has only 3 ingredients: dark roasted Brazilian ground coffee or preferably rapadura and water. It’s a very easy coffee to make.
Let’s get to it!
Ingredients Needed For This Cafezinho Recipe
- 4 Oz (120 ml) filtered or bottled water per cup of cafezinho brewed.
- 15 grams (½ Oz) per cup of cafezinho you want to make.
- 1 teaspoon of rapadura per cafezinho brewed.
Note: Rapadura is unrefined Brazilian sugar.
A flannel coffee sock will be needed to filter your coffee. An organic cotton coffee sock is perfect.
How To Make Your Cafezinho
Start by measuring 4 ounces (120 ml) of water per cup of cafezinho that you want to make and weighing 15 grams (½ Oz) of whole coffee beans per cup of coffee that you want to brew.
Grind your coffee beans to a fine espresso like coffee grind of 200 microns.
Put your water in a small saucepan and heat at medium to high heat and add your rapadura, one teaspoon per cafezinho brewed and stir well until it is dissolved. Bring it to a boil and then take your saucepan off the heat.
Let your water cool for a minute until it reaches 96C (205F), which is the highest brewing temperature for coffee. Above this temperature your coffee will start over extracting, and you will get burnt tastes in your coffee.
Add your ground coffee, using the suggested beans from the list above, to your water and stir for a minute. Stir gently.
Cover your sauce pan with the lid to prevent heat loss and leave your coffee for 4 mins to extract.
When your cafezinho coffee is ready, pour it through your coffee sock and let it drip into a carafe.
When ready, pour into a 4 oz (120 ml) coffee cup and enjoy your cafezinho. That is how easy it is to make a cafezinho!
Frequently Asked Questions About What Is Cafezinho
How Is Cafezinho Made?
Cafezinho is made by immersing coffee grounds in hot water and is left to simmer for a few minutes. While it is simmering sugar is added. After a few minutes, the mix is filtered through a large flannel sock filter and brewed directly into a cup or a carafe.
Where Is Cafezinho From?
Cafezinho is from Brazil. The zinho suffix is diminutive, which means that cafezinho means little coffee. It’s a coffee that is synonymous with Brazilian hospitality as you are never short of someone offering you a cafezinho.
What Company Is Brazil’s Largest Coffee Producer?
Unicafe is the largest coffee producer in Brazil and the world.
Who Buys The Most Coffee From Brazil?
The top importers of Brazilian coffee are:
- United States Of America: US$1.19 Bn.
- Germany: US$1.07 Bn.
- Belgium: US$494 M.
- Italy: US$477 M.
- Japan: US$406 M.
Read: Cafezinho
Where Is The Best Place In Brazil For Coffee?
The best place for coffee in Brazil is the State Of Minas Gerais who are the leading producing region of coffee in Brazil. It, Minas Gerais is also known for the best quality coffee and Specialty coffee in the nation.
Is Brazil Rich In Coffee?
Brazil is not a rich country, but it is rich in coffee with more than 2 Million hectares of land dedicated to the production of coffee.
What Country Sells The Most Coffee?
Brazil produces the most coffee in the world and thus sells the most coffee. The total sales of coffee total over US$7 bn per year.
Is Cafezinho Espresso?
No, a Cafezinho is a strong small coffee but is not an Espresso, it is a type of filter coffee.
Final Thoughts – What Is Cafezinho?
If you have this far, you know exactly what is cafezinho and how to make a great home-brewed version of this famous Brazilian coffee at home with great beans!
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Derek Marshall
Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location
