Lot DT 09 - 03/03: Iracema (LOT 03)

IRACEMA is described as “the Indian of honey lips” on the homonym book from 1865 by José de Alencar. The book narrates one of Alencar’s favorite themes: the difficult love between a native Brazilian and a European immigrant in the colony era in Brazil. The beautiful Iracema is the daughter of her tribe’s grand chief and holds the “Secret of Jurema” – the recipe of a sacred drink offered to warriors on war rituals. Because of her importance in the tribe, Iracema’s father arranges her marriage to their strongest warrior, but she falls in love with a Portuguese man, Martin, who lives in an enemy tribe. To live this forbidden love, Iracema and Martin run away together. In the book, Iracema is depicted as the ideal of beauty and femininity and we thought that this Aramosa perfect represents her: aromas of blueberries, grapes, jasmine and raspberries; with flavors of strawberry, grape juice, and more berries (almost like bubblegum) and of course, lots of honey.

If you’re not familiar with the name Aramosa, you’re not the only one: this varietal is still in a “pre-cultivar” stage. That means that the genetics is still being tested, and the seeds will only become available for purchase and cultivation once they are fully stabilized. We have been researching these seeds for many years with IAC, the Agronomic Institute of Campinas – today, we have our own exclusive Aramosa selections! The Aramosa is a cross between Coffea Arabica and Coffea Racemosa. This crossbreeding was performed to inherit Racemosa’s low caffeine and drought resistance and Arabica’s flavor. Because the plant produces less caffeine, the beans always taste very sweet with no bitterness.
The Aramosa cherries went through a natural anaerobic fermentation - We placed them in a stainless-steel fermentation tank equipped with an airlock valve - this system allows oxygen to get out of the tank but stops anything from getting inside. As the cherries ferment, they release CO2 and, because carbon dioxide is denser than oxygen, it pushes the lighter gas out through the valve. After a few hours, the tank environment becomes completely anaerobic and allows certain microorganisms the perfect conditions for fermentation and enzymatic reactions to happen inside of the beans.

Varietal: Daterra’s Aramosa
Process: Natural Anaerobic Fermentation
Screen size: 14/18/MK
Harvesting: Selective Mechanical
Drying: Raised Beds
Plot: BV36