ICON 62 - Sítio Denizar, Cup of Excellence

At peak ripeness, the cherries are hand-picked and delivered to the wet mill. Upon arrival, the cherries are washed and sorted to ensure uniformity and remove any under or overripe fruit. The cherries are then machine-pulped to remove the outer fruit and mechanically de-mucilaged to clean away any of the remaining sticky, fruit mucilage. The coffee is thinly spread on covered patios to dry evenly in the sun until it reaches the ideal moisture content of 11%, a process that varies in length dependant on weather conditions. Once dry, the coffee rests in high-barrier bags before being hulled and prepared for export.

Estevão and his family are deeply committed to preserving the land surrounding their farm, including parts of the Atlantic Forest. Sítio Denizar operates on core values of economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Their work is creating a bright future for high-quality coffee in Brazil.

Espírito Santo is one of Brazil's smallest states, but it features dramatically different landscapes, from steep mountains to coastal regions. The state borders Bahia to the north, Minas Gerais to the west, Rio de Janeiro to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. This unique topography creates beneficial microclimates for Arabica production. Moisture from the coast gets trapped by the mountains, creating high humidity and a consistently cool climate that allows coffee cherries to mature slowly. The rocky, mineral-rich soil produces clean, crisp coffees with sparkling acidity and a floral touch.

Small-scale growers dominate the region. Farmers here are actively engaged in every step of production, working with family members and building on traditional knowledge to improve their quality of life and coffee. Many use washed and pulped-natural processing methods, producing fruit-forward coffees with excellent acidity, somewhat atypical for Brazil.

In 1891, Estevão Denizar Douro’s great-grandfather, Ângelo Douro, left Italy with his wife and two children to start a new life in Brazil. Upon arrival, they headed straight to the Espírito Santo mountains, a region marked by high altitudes and the rich Atlantic Forest biome. The family acquired land in the town of Marechal Floriano and began farming corn, beans, cassava, vegetables, and coffee. Today, Estevão Denizar Douro, the fourth generation, runs the farm Sítio Denizar with his sons Thiago, 30, and Denizar, 35, and his wife Penha. They grow coffee with a focus on quality and careful processing. Between harvests, they cultivate tomatoes, yams, and avocados for personal use and local sale. Penha manages the onsite roastery, where the farm’s coffee is roasted and sold locally.

Catucaí 2SL, a crossbreed of Catuaí and Mundo Novo coffee varieties, was developed by the Instituto Agronômico (IAC) in Brazil. This hybrid cultivar combines the best qualities of both parent plants, resulting in a coffee that is highly resistant to coffee leaf rust, droughts and is highly productive. Catucaí 2SL also offers a distinctive taste and exceptional cup quality. It showcases a harmonious balance of acidity, sweetness, and body, making it a favourite among coffee enthusiasts.

The washed process was designed to minimize the risk of off-flavours caused by uncontrolled fermentation during the natural process. Cherries are typically sorted using a flotation tank, where under-ripe or defective fruits float to the top and can be removed. The remaining cherries are then pulped and left in a tank to ferment until the sticky fruit mucilage is soft enough to be washed off the parchment—a paper-like layer surrounding the seed.

The design and cleanliness of the tanks used for fermentation are crucial, and the type, degree and speed of microbial activity depends on various factors. These include the amount of fruit remaining, the presence of bacteria and yeasts, whether the tank is filled with water, and the environmental conditions.

Once the mucilage has sufficiently degraded, it's washed away with water. The remaining parchment coffee, as it's commonly called, is then dried until it reaches a safe moisture content. The bacteria-rich and sugary water used in the process must be treated carefully, as it can cause algae blooms if it enters streams and rivers.

In situations where large amounts of coffee are processed in bulk, such as in Ethiopia, some operations have found it economical to use a mechanical demucilager. This device removes all the fruit from the parchment with minimal water, bypassing the fermentation stage entirely. However, some believe this leads to a reduction in cup quality, as many flavour precursors are created through fermentation.