What is fruit-forward coffee? Where the fruit comes from
Fruit-forward coffee tastes of berries, stone fruit or citrus, without any flavourings. What it is, where the fruit comes from, and which Brazilian coffees show it best.
By Tiago
Published
Last updated
4 min read
Resumo · the short answer
Fruit-forward coffee is coffee in which fruit is the first thing you taste: red berries, plum, stone fruit, citrus or even tropical fruit.
Nothing is added. Those flavours come from the coffee itself: the variety, the place it grows, how the cherries are processed and how the beans are roasted.
Ficha técnica Fruit-forward
| First thing you taste | Fruit |
|---|---|
| Added flavourings | None |
| Comes from | Variety, ripeness, processing, roast |
| Best brewed as | Filter |
| Starting recipe | 15 g for 250 ml, about 93 °C |
| With milk | The fruit fades |
Below we explain what fruit-forward means, where the fruit comes from, and which of our Brazilian coffees show it best.
01 · O que é
What does fruit-forward mean?
Every coffee has a main character. In a classic coffee that is chocolate, nuts and caramel. In a fruit-forward coffee, the fruit comes first, with a brighter acidity and a juicy feel, and the chocolate or caramel sits underneath. It is a description of taste, not of quality: a chocolatey coffee can be just as good, it is simply a different style.
Fruit-forward coffee is not flavoured coffee. There are no aromas, syrups or added fruit. If a bag says “red berries”, that is what the taster smelled and tasted in the coffee.
02 · De onde vem
Where do the fruit flavours come from?
Coffee is the seed of a fruit, the coffee cherry. How much of that fruit you taste depends on a few things:
Variety
Some varieties naturally carry more fruit and acidity than others.
Ripeness
Only ripe cherries give that sweet, fruity flavour. Selective picking makes a big difference.
Processing
In a natural coffee, the whole cherry dries around the bean, which often gives ripe, jammy fruit. Anaerobic and semi-anaerobic fermentations, where the cherries ferment in closed tanks, can push the fruit further, towards plum, rum or tropical fruit.
Roast
A lighter roast keeps the fruit and acidity. A darker roast covers them with chocolate and bitterness.
We explain this in more detail in why your filter coffee can taste like passion fruit.
03 · Brasil
Can Brazilian coffee be fruit-forward?
Yes. Brazil is best known for chocolatey, nutty coffee, and most of it tastes that way. But Brazil is a huge country with very different regions, and more and more farmers experiment with natural and fermented processing. The result is Brazilian coffee that can taste of red fruit, plum or even jabuticaba, a Brazilian berry. Read more about Brazil’s coffee regions and what they taste like.
Do torrador
“It is a description of taste, not of quality. A chocolatey coffee can be just as good.”
Tiago, who roasts our coffee every week in Amsterdam
04 · Na xícara
Our fruit-forward coffees
| Coffee | Region | What you taste | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maragogipe Southern Boundaries | Alta Mogiana, São Paulo | Red fruit jam, jabuticaba, tamarind | Filter |
| Funky Jumper Banger | Sul de Minas | Ripe plum, raisin, orange, brown rum | Filter and espresso |
| Fazenda Sertão 100 Years Reserva | Serra da Mantiqueira | Red fruits, sweet full body, spicy finish | Filter and espresso |
| Sítio Matuto | Sul de Minas | Caramel, apricot, fresh herbal note | Filter and espresso |
Maragogipe Southern Boundaries
Unusually large beans and a light roast. Jammy and bright: the most outspoken of the four.
Taste the Maragogipe Southern Boundaries
Funky Jumper Banger
A semi-anaerobic Red Catuaí from Fazenda do Salto. Lively as filter, bold and boozy as espresso.
Taste the Funky Jumper Banger
Fazenda Sertão 100 Years Reserva
A natural Red Bourbon from trees over 100 years old: fruit with a lot of body.
Sítio Matuto
A natural Yellow Catuaí microlot: softer fruit, a good first step if you usually drink chocolatey coffee.
05 · Preparo
How to brew fruit-forward coffee
- Brew it as filter. A V60, Chemex or AeroPress gives a clean cup in which the fruit is easy to taste.
- Start with 15 grams of coffee for 250 ml of water, at around 93 °C.
- Let it cool a little. Fruit and sweetness often show more clearly when the coffee is no longer hot.
If it is
Too sour
→ Grind a little finer
If it is
Too bitter
→ Grind a little coarser
06 · Para cafés
Fruit-forward coffee for cafés
A fruit-forward coffee on the menu gives guests something to talk about, next to a reliable house espresso. It works well as a filter of the week or as a single origin for guests who drink their coffee black. Run a café or restaurant? We send free samples to taste on your own machine first. Read how our coffee for cafés and offices works.
07 · Perguntas
Frequently asked questions
Is fruit-forward coffee flavoured?
No. The fruit flavours come from the coffee itself. Nothing is added: no aromas, syrups or fruit.
Is fruit-forward coffee sour?
It should taste bright and juicy, not sour. If it tastes sour, the coffee is usually under-extracted: grind a little finer or brew a little longer.
Can I drink fruit-forward coffee with milk?
You can, but milk covers a lot of the fruit. For milk drinks, a chocolatey espresso blend is usually the better choice.
Próximo gole · next sip
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