Nossa Familia Coffee: A Delicious Brew with a Family Touch

Nossa Familia Coffee, based out of Portland, Oregon, was founded in 2004 by Augusto Carneiro, a Brazillian native whose family has been growing coffee in the Brazilian highlands since the 1890s. 

 

When Augusto founded Nossa Familia, all the coffee imported was directly from Augusto’s family’s farms. Today, they have expanded and now in addition to roasting coffee from their family farms in Brazil, they also provide specialty coffees from other regions in the world, like Nicaragua, Peru, and more. 

 

Another distinctive aspect of Nossa Familia Coffee is that they offer coffee tours. Tour offerings include educational, coffee, and service offerings that include a select number of meals, lodging, and unique itineraries. 

 

Nossa Familia Coffee stands out, and I’m so excited to share the delicious coffee I tried from this roaster. Let’s dive in (and don’t forget to grab the discount code below!)

 

 

 

 

Nossa Familia Coffee Review

 

At the time of writing this post, Nossa Familia Coffee had 15+ coffees, all of which can be ordered in whole bean or ground varieties. Some are also available in instant and single-serve varieties. 

 

Coffees can be ordered in 4oz, 12oz, 2lb, and 5lb bags, which is great if you are looking to sample some coffee (get the 4oz) or order in bulk (5lbs is a lot of coffee!).

 

For reference, generally 1 lb of coffee makes about 48–64 cups (depending on how strong you brew). So, 5 lbs could give you anywhere from 240 to 320 cups of coffee.

 

From Nossa Familia Coffee, I ordered full bags of the following:

• Teodoro’s Italian Roast
• Full Cycle
• Ernesto’s House Roast
• Augusta’s Organic Breakfast

Hands down my favorite was Augusta’s Organic Breakfast. 

 

A medium roast coffee whose origin actually rotates seasonally, it was bright and comforting, likely due to the sweet notes that I tasted.

 

A fun aspect of Nossa Familia’s coffees is that a selection of their roasts are named after a family member (part of their “Family Line Coffees”). Augusta’s Organic Breakfast is named after Augusto’s grandmother because the coffee mirrors her warm and nurturing personality. 

 

Those characteristics are a great way to describe this coffee. It really just hugs you, and I felt comforted drinking this roast. It’s also one of two organic coffees Nossa offers.

 

 

My next favorite was Ernesto’s House Roast.

 

From one of the family farms in Brazil, Ernesto’s House Roast is named for Grandfather Ernesto, who is well-balanced and full of character, according to Nossa Familia’s description. 

 

The coffee is a medium roast processed in a pulped-natural method, meaning farmers remove the skin of the coffee cherry fruit but leave the pectin layer intact and then lay the beans out to dry on a patio/drying bed. It’s a common technique for processing coffee in Brazil.

 

Described as a well-rounded coffee with a smooth nutty finish, I found this one very enjoyable and drinkable. 

 

It would be perfect in any application (espresso, drip, even iced). And with honey notes, it would be great as a base coffee for one of my honey coffee recipes.

 

 

Up next, we switch to a dark roast, Teodoro’s Italian Roast.

 

Technically a medium-dark roast, I felt this was truly a blend between a medium and dark roast. It was darker than the other two described above, but not so dark that it felt or tasted bitter (something I often pick up on my palette when it comes to dark roasts).

 

It was a bit robust for my liking, but that is typically the case with anything called an “Italian Roast.” I found it best with cream and/or milk as the coffee flavor came through, but the robust nature of the dark roast was toned down.

 

This would be a great espresso pull option if you brew with an espresso machine at home.

 

 

Finally, we come to Full Cycle. 

 

Admittedly, this was my least favorite from the four coffees I tried, but honestly it’s just because it wasn’t as good as the two medium-roasts above that I adored. 

 

This is a good example of a downside to how I review coffee companies (which I love, don’t get me wrong!). But when you taste multiple coffees from the same roaster, you end up comparing them to each other. 

 

In the case of Full Cycle, it just wasn’t as good to me as Augusta’s Organic Breakfast or Ernesto’s House Roast, which is a bummer because I love that it’s a coffee that supports a cause. 

 

Nossa Familia has a collection of coffees called “Giveback Coffees” that support programs locally and in the coffee-growing countries they work with.

 

Whenever you purchase a Giveback Coffee, Nossa Familia donates 50c of each bag purchased to various programs like Community Vision and P:ear.

 

Although Full Cycle wasn’t my favorite, it’s still a great coffee, and I love that it is a Giveback Coffee. There are other Giveback Coffees you can check out, with select seasonal and limited-batch coffees making appearances, too.

 

Tasting Nossa Familia Coffee was a unique experience and each bag of coffee somehow felt personal, like it was handcrafted for me. Which in some ways makes sense, Nossa Familia is Portuguese for ‘Our Family.’

 

And that is what makes Nossa Familia Coffee so special, you get a little piece of Augusto’s family right in your home. 

 

If you are in the Portland area, you can check out Nossa Familia Coffee at the following locations: 

 

Central Eastside Café

1633 SE 3rd Ave
Portland, Oregon 97214

 

Seven Corners Café

2007 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97202

 

If you shop online and spend more than $15, use discount code KTLIKESCOFFEE to save 15% on your first order!