How to brew Brazilian coffee: drip machine and moka pot

Brew Brazilian coffee in a drip machine with a medium grind, about 60 grams of coffee per liter of water (roughly 1 tablespoon per 6 ounces), and water heated to 195 to 205 F (91 to 96 C), which most machines reach on their own. Our No. 6 Hegemony is low in acidity with a heavy body by nature, which makes it one of the more forgiving coffees to brew this way.

Why this coffee suits a drip machine

Hegemony grows in Parana and Sao Paulo, Brazil, at a lower altitude of 750 to 1,050 meters, and goes through a pulped natural process, sun dried, which tends to produce a smooth, low acid cup with cocoa notes and heavy body. Lower altitude and this drying method generally give a milder, rounder coffee than a high grown, washed origin, which is part of why the label describes it as the pot everyone in the house drinks without complaining. A drip machine's consistent, hands off brewing suits that kind of everyday coffee well, since there is little acidity or delicacy at stake if the timing is not perfect.

The recipe

1. Fill the reservoir with fresh, cold water, measured so you know the ratio rather than filled to a line.
2. Grind the coffee to a medium setting right before brewing if you can.
3. Add the grounds to a rinsed filter and level the bed.
4. Run the machine through its full cycle without interrupting it partway.
5. Stir the pot lightly before pouring, since coffee near the bottom can brew slightly stronger.

Why this coffee is hard to ruin

Low acidity and heavy body give Hegemony more room for error than a bright, high grown coffee has. A slightly off grind size, a few minutes of extra sitting time on a hot plate, or a ratio that drifts a little from the recipe above tends to change this coffee less dramatically than it would a delicate, floral one. That does not mean the recipe above does not matter, a badly under or over extracted cup will still taste worse, but the margin for a good result without careful measuring is wider here than with most of our other origins.

Cold brew as an alternative

The label lists cold brew at a 1:8 ratio, steeped overnight, as another way to make this coffee, and it is worth trying if you already have a drip machine going for hot coffee in the house. Combine coarsely ground coffee with room temperature or cold water at that ratio, let it steep in the refrigerator for 12 to 18 hours, then strain through a fine mesh or paper filter. The same low acidity and cocoa notes that make Hegemony smooth hot carry over well into a cold brew concentrate, which can be diluted with water or milk to taste.

Serving it with milk

A heavy bodied, low acid coffee like this one tends to hold up well against milk, since there is less bright acidity for the milk to flatten out. If your household usually adds cream or milk to drip coffee, Hegemony's cocoa notes and smooth body come through even after dilution, more so than a lighter, more delicate origin would. It also works reasonably well iced, since the body carries through the extra water from melting ice better than a thinner cup would.

How much to grind at once

Because this coffee is forgiving of small timing and ratio changes, it is a reasonable one to grind a few days' worth at a time if your schedule does not allow grinding fresh every morning. That said, whole bean coffee still holds its flavor longer than pre-ground, so keeping any extra ground coffee sealed and away from heat, and using it within a few days, keeps the cocoa notes from fading before the bag is gone.

Moka pot

1. Fill the base with water just below the safety valve, ideally water that is already hot.
2. Fill the basket level with grounds, settling it with a light tap, no tamping.
3. Screw the top on and set the pot on low to medium heat with the lid open.
4. Watch and listen for the sputtering that signals the brew is nearly finished.
5. Pull it off the heat as soon as the sputtering starts, before it runs dry.

If you want to compare origins, see Colombian vs Brazilian coffee, and if you are still deciding what suits your drip machine best, best coffee for a drip coffee maker covers what to look for across all ten of ours. Browse the full lineup of all ten coffees, or check the subscription page if you want this one showing up on your counter automatically every few weeks.

Measure the coffee, not the scoop, and this one forgives the rest.