sitio capao: brazil

This Pulped Natural lot comes from Aneiuson Souza at Sítio Capão in Brazil. It’s giving rich caramel, and creamy milk chocolate with a lingering, pecan pie sweetness.

Sítio Capão is a 12-hectare coffee farm located near Piatã in Bahia’s Chapada Diamantina region, sitting at 1,300m above sea level. Once known for its diamond mines, the area is now famous for specialty coffee. The farm is owned by 3rd-gen coffee producer Aneiuson Souza and his wife, Rosemeire.

The farm was established by his grandfather 70 years ago as a fruit & vegetable plantation before coffee became a key crop in the region. At just 17, Aneiuson decided he wanted to modernise the farm’s practices. He studied agricultural techniques at Bahia’s Federal Institute (IFBA), visiting the farm regularly to share knowledge & help improve their methods. His efforts marked a turning point for Sítio Capão, setting it up for success in specialty coffee production.

He planted modern varieties like Catuaí & Catucai for their quality, resilience & suitability to Brazil’s climate, and added shade trees to protect the coffee plants. As well as including soil testing, planting nutrient-rich crops like broccoli, and upgrading infrastructure with fermentation tanks, a drying patio, and a generator for processing coffee.

Aneiuson carefully manages every step of coffee production. During harvest, only ripe cherries are handpicked by him, his family, and a small team. The cherries are taken to their onsite wet mill twice a day for processing. After depulping, wet parchment with some mucilage still attached was sun-dried on patios for a week, then alternates between patios during the day and greenhouses at night for the following week. The coffee is spread in thin layers and raked about 20 times a day to ensure even drying. Once it reaches optimal moisture content, it’s separated into numbered lots and dry milled at the nearby Fazenda Machado.

FINER DETAILS

• origin: piatã, chapada diamantina, bahia
• produced by: aneiuson souza | sítio capão
• processing method: pulped natural
• varietal: catucai, catuaí
• elevation: 1300m above sea level
• roasted for: espresso

ESPRESSO SWEET SPOT:

in: 21g  |  out: 45g  |  time: 26-30sec  |  temp: 91-93°C