We're taking part in The Fermentation Project, a global tasting created by James Hoffmann and fermentation specialist Lucia Solis. It sets out to answer one question: how much does fermentation shape the flavour of a coffee?
It starts with a single coffee from Finca San Miguel Urias in Antigua, Guatemala. The harvest was split into four lots, and each was fermented a different way:
- Mechanically demucilaged. The control. The sticky layer of fruit around the bean is removed by machine, so fermentation plays almost no part.
- Wild. 48 hours with the microbes found naturally on the farm.
- Lactobacillus. 48 hours with added lactobacillus, the bacteria behind yoghurt and sourdough.
- Yeast. 48 hours with added saccharomyces, the yeast used in bread, beer and wine.
With the control alongside, you can taste exactly what each fermentation brings.
In January we visited suppliers in Guatemala. With Javier from Caribbean Goods, we met the team at Finca San Miguel Urias and saw where these coffees were grown and processed.
The tasting notes are yours to discover. Brew all four side by side, or cup them, and see what you find.
The live tasting
Join James Hoffmann for a live global tasting on his YouTube channel on Saturday 3 October at 3pm UK time. Have all four brewed and ready to go.
Our 4 × 150g sets sold out on pre-order. Thank you to everyone taking part. The Fermentation Project
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