Experimental
Named fermentation experiments that aren't anaerobic, carbonic, co-fermented, inoculated, thermal shock or lactic.
Producers keep inventing fermentation methods, and most combine a few familiar steps. We list the common ones as their own techniques, so a coffee can be, say, washed, anaerobic and thermal-shocked. This page collects the rest: double fermentations, ferments with mosto saved from an earlier batch, very cold fermentations (cryomaceration), rehydrated "hydro" honeys, and methods a producer simply calls extended or gives a house name.
Expect anything from subtly sweeter versions of a washed coffee to intense, fruity, boozy cups. Because the label says little on its own, the roaster's notes on the bag are the best guide to what was actually done.
- Covers
- Double fermentation, mosto, cryomaceration, hydro honey, extended and house-named methods
- Tastes
- Anything from refined to wild; read the roaster's notes
- Signature notes
- jasmine, hibiscus, mango
- Origins
- Colombia (143), Panama (28), Ecuador (19), Ethiopia (16), Guatemala (7), India (6), Honduras (4), Mexico (4)
- Varieties
- Gesha (70), Pink Bourbon (18), Sidra (18), Castillo (15), Caturra (14), SL28 (11), Chiroso (7), Typica Mejorado (7)
- Flavors
- Floral (114), Berry (94), Tropical (91), Citrus (84), Stone fruit (84), Red fruit (72), Caramel & sugar (68), Tea-like (32)
On the bag
- Double fermentation
- Two fermentation stages, often one in the whole cherry and a second after pulping.
- Mosto
- Liquid from an earlier fermentation added to a new batch as a starter, like sourdough.
- Cryomaceration
- Fermenting at very low temperatures, close to refrigerator-cold, often for days, to slow the microbes down.
- Extended fermentation
- Fermenting for longer than usual, often several days, to push fruit and sweetness.
Roasters that carry it most
- Perc (25)
- Black & White (44)
- Hydrangea (61)
- Klatch (3)
- Intelligentsia (7)