Lot DT 03 - 02/02: Capitu (LOT 02)

CAPITU is simply one of the most iconic characters of Brazillian literature. She’s a lead character from the romance Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis – a book that, even though it was published in 1899, still causes debates to this day. The text is narrated by Capitu’s husband Bento who is now an old and bitter man writing his memories. He recalls school days with his best friend Escobar and his childhood obsession with Capitu: she is, from an early age, very smart, playful and manipulative. Even though Bento eventually marries Capitu, he feels intimidated and never fully trusts her. Suspecting that their son is actually Escobar’s child, Bento begins to treat both Capitu and the little boy with scorn. Bento’s mental downfall is built along with the pages as he becomes more jealous and paranoid by every chapter. Whether or not Capitu cheated on Bento is still a mystery to this day – the adultery is never confirmed or denied. Some readers think she did, as Capitu had always outsmarted her husband; many readers think she didn’t do anything wrong, as she is shown as a dedicated mother and wife. Because Bento’s words are poisoned by his envy and jealousy throughout the whole book, Dom Casmurro is a classic case of an unreliable narrator and has been translated into 14 languages. Our Capitu also has a mysterious vibe: tropical fruits, red wine, lilies and spices on aroma, with apple cider, mango, passion fruit, raspberry, and even acai berries – all that topped with intense malic acidity.

Catucai is a cross between varietals Icatu and Catuai that occurred naturally, resulting in well-producing and vigorous plants with resistance against the leaf rust. In fact, there are many different lineages of Catucai today: the type used in Capitu gives yellow cherries, but there are red Catucais too.

Our Catucai trees are very young, so we handpicked only the cherries at peak ripeness. We placed these ripe cherries inside a 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.