{"product_id":"fermentation-project","title":"The Fermentation Project","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne coffee, four processes: \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003ea tasting experience for anyone who wants to understand more about what happens between harvesting coffee cherries and the brewing stage, and to taste what impact fermentation has on a coffee.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Fermentation Project is a global coffee experiment created by James Hoffmann and fermentation specialist Lucia Solis, designed to explore one deceptively simple question: how much does fermentation actually change the flavour of coffee?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStarting with the same coffee from Finca San Miguel Urias in Antigua, Guatemala, the harvest was divided into four lots and processed in four different ways. By keeping the coffee itself consistent and changing the fermentation, the influence of processing becomes more evident than usual. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eIn January this year, we visited some of our suppliers in Guatemala to connect and take a final look at the 2026 harvest of one of our key coffees – \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.thomsonscoffee.com\/products\/el-colegio?srsltid=AfmBOopXvCFarl05Bur2nB2d6wLmCm0xIR5dKE8bWVSJVTZnXKiRftSJ\" title=\"El Colegio\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eEl Colegio\u003c\/a\u003e. While visiting with Javier from Caribbean Goods, we had the opportunity to meet the team behind Finca San Miguel Urias, and see first-hand where the coffee for The Fermentation Project was grown, processed, and evaluated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInside the project are four versions of the same coffee:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMechanically Demucilaged – this is the control, with the mucilage mechanically removed and no intentional fermentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWild Fermentation – 48 hour fermentation using the microorganisms naturally present at the farm.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLactobacillus Fermentation – 48 hour fermentation, inoculated with lactobacillus bacteria.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYeast Fermentation – 48 hour fermentation, inoculated with saccharomyces yeast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe'll be roasting all four lots here at Thomson's in September 2026, and you can experience the experiment for yourself – brewing them side by side, cupping them, or getting involved with the Global Tasting Event hosted by James Hoffmann on the 3rd of October.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRather than telling you what you should be tasting, you can discover and interpret them for yourself, with no preconceptions!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis is a pre-order item – the packs will be shipping towards the end of September 2026.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":null,"offers":[{"title":"4 x 150G","offer_id":57291067720060,"sku":"CFGUATFERM-150_BN","price":30.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0685\/6483\/files\/P1020452.jpg?v=1786715021","url":"https:\/\/www.thomsonscoffee.com\/products\/fermentation-project","provider":"Thomson's Coffee","version":"1.0","type":"link"}