Carbonic maceration
Whole cherries ferment in tanks filled with carbon dioxide, a winemaking technique, for a vivid, juicy cup.
Carbonic maceration is borrowed from winemaking, where it gives Beaujolais its juicy, fruity character. Whole coffee cherries go into sealed tanks that are filled with carbon dioxide, so the fermentation starts inside the intact fruit. After days in the tank the coffee is dried as a natural, or pulped and washed.
It came to wide attention in coffee when Saša Šestić won the 2015 World Barista Championship with a carbonic-macerated coffee. Expect bright, candied red fruit and tropical notes, often with a sparkling, wine-like quality. It's labor-intensive and rare, so few roasters carry one at a time.
- Also called
- CM, carbonic
- Fermentation
- Whole cherry in CO₂-filled tanks, usually several days, then natural or washed
- Borrowed from
- Beaujolais winemaking
- Tastes
- Juicy, candied red fruit, wine-like
- Signature notes
- candied orange, strawberry, blackberry
- Origins
- Colombia (4), Ecuador (3), Ethiopia (3), India (3), Nicaragua (2), Panama (2), Kenya (1)
- Varieties
- Catuai (2), Gesha (2), Catucai (1), Caturra (1), Colombia (1), JARC 74158 (1), Java (1), Kurume (1)
- Flavors
- Berry (9), Citrus (9), Floral (7), Tropical (7), Stone fruit (5), Winey & fermented (4), Caramel & sugar (3), Herbal (3)