Lot DT 14 - 02/02: Severino (LOT 02)

In the modernist poem The Life and Death of Severino (Morte e Vida Severina) by João Cabral de Melo Neto, “SEVERINO” is not only the main character’s name – the author transforms it in an adjective, like a synonym for the difficulty in life. The poem narrates the life of a retirante named Severino – retirantes were the people who migrated from the poor, dry and infertile lands of northeast Brazil to bigger cities, searching for a better life. During his journey, Severino realizes that the difficult life will follow him anywhere he goes because life itself is severine.

The migrations from harsh condition to bigger cities is still a reality today and is largely connected to coffee growing – many people leave their hometowns to work on coffee harvests and make some money to bring back home at the end of the season. This homage to the retirantes presents aromatic herbs and blueberries with a hint of lavender on the nose, with dense flavors of Malbec wine, blackberries and milk caramel with touches of vanilla.

Guara is a mutation from a lineage of Catucai: basically, a single plant with yellow cherries showed up among the otherwise red-cherried Catucai trees. The agronomists observed that this mutation presented different taste and characteristics, so the mutation was selected and cultivated. This is the first year that we produce Guara and we’re excited about this varietal: besides developing very well under fermentations, it also has good resistance against some of the worst coffee diseases: the leaf rust and pseudomonas.

To make Severino, we handpicked the Guara cherries and fermented them inside a hermetically closed tank equipped with an airlock valve, making the CO2 released during the fermentation push out all oxygen. After a couple of hours, the whole tank is completely devoid of oxygen and the anaerobic microorganisms can work their magic on the beans.

Varietal: Daterra’s Guara
Process: Natural Anaerobic Fermentation
Screen size: 16/18
Harvesting: Handpicking
Drying: Patio
Plot: TB 40