Mexico – Huatusco (Extended Fermentation)

Description

Mexican Coffee beans

Bright, sweet, good intensity, lime, kiwi, mango

The transformation of coffee cherry to a green coffee bean is a complex biotechnological process. The process involves fermentation where microorganisms (yeast, bacteria and fungi) use the mucilage in the coffee cherry digest the carbohydrates and produce complex metabolites. These metabolites when roasted provide the wonderful aroma and taste of a cup of coffee.

In this very special lot we took fresh coffee cherry from the Zilli and Sampieri families, pulped them carefully, and added a starter culture to the fermentation tank. We allowed the fermentation to extend about two to three times the normal fermentation while monitoring the pH and other indicators. Finally we washed the coffee and dried it. The secret behind our starter culture is that it changes the microbiological makeup of the fermentation to both encourage good flavor and discourage the negative flavor elements. Hence when evaluating our coffee we found that the extended submerged fermentation using a starter culture enhanced the fruity and sweet attributes and reduced unfavorable volatiles, resulting in an improved aroma.

Huatusco is an ideal region to grow coffee thanks to its abundant rainfall. Processing coffee in Huatusco is slightly more complicated than in other Mexican regions during coffee harvest season due to the rainy days and very cold nights (which delay the fermentation process). Rainy conditions also mean a lot of coffee is mechanically dried. Most coffee today is grown on small to medium sized farms of 1-18 hectares. Cherry is delivered to the wet mill during the afternoon and evening then de-pulped and fermented for an average of 15 – 20 hours, washed before being centrifugated and pre-dried, passing through a drying machine in a continuous flow for 30 – 36 hours to ensure avoidance of defects due to excess of moisture.