Is specialty coffee a trend of experimental fermentations or a movement that seeks to generate profound changes in the way coffee is marketed in the world? What do we gain by talking so much about experimental fermentations if they rarely achieve exceptional cups? Can experimental fermentation really improve the quality of a poorly harvested lot? Are the experimental fermentations fully controlled or are there random elements that influence their final result?
Apparently today it is no longer enough to produce washed, natural or honey coffees; A very good lot of washed Bourbon variety from Burundi seems to have lost its charm. In our opinion, there is something wrong with this industry, if we have to put orange peel or cinnamon sticks to add flavours to a lot! Fermentation in specialty coffees has never been and will never be controlled, at least until the day when the entire productive structure at origin is modified, and a technological level such as the one that exists today in the wine industry is reached.
The ideas of our industry and its values seem to be corrupted by the greed of a few, and we are falling into the same error that we criticized so much before. Some will request very high prices for coffees that are poorly harvested but processed with an experimental fermentation, with which they believe they can "fix the quality of the lot". So we ask again, can the quality of a lot be improved by fermentation? The answer is a definit no!
If we know that the maximum point of quality of a lot is directly proportional to how ripe the cherry is at the time of harvest, it is ridiculous to think that the long path of quality can be shortened through fermentation. Where is the traceability if we put different types of fruit and yeast in the fermentation tank? Where is the transparency if we are charging sky-high prices for poorly harvested lots? And where is sustainability if we base the financial profitability of the industry on a model from which only a few benefit?
Redirect the course of the industry through your purchasing decisions and enjoy your coffee!
If we know that the maximum point of quality of a lot is directly proportional to how ripe the cherry is at the time of harvest, it is ridiculous to think that the long path of quality can be shortened through fermentation. Where is the traceability if we put different types of fruit and yeast in the fermentation tank? Where is the transparency if we are charging sky-high prices for poorly harvested lots? And where is sustainability if we base the financial profitability of the industry on a model from which only a few benefit?
Redirect the course of the industry through your purchasing decisions and enjoy your coffee!
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