Does Costa Rica Musician Series Coffee Actually Contain Additives?

Recently, there have been widespread rumors that the Musician Series coffee beans contain additives. The public account "Coffee Roast Master" published three consecutive articles discussing this series of beans in response to this matter.

FrontStreet Coffee's Perspective on Evidence-Based Discussion

FrontStreet Coffee has thoroughly reviewed the causes and consequences of this incident and cannot agree with the approach taken in this discussion. The questions raised—such as "the beans contain flavorings," "the beans contain pineapple peel," "the bean supplier destroyed evidence"—where did these come from? They were all just speculation! Yet the articles have already enthusiastically begun building a narrative about "the harms of adding flavorings to coffee."

Community Response: Evidence Matters

Some netizens in the background have maintained an attitude of "everything requires evidence" regarding this matter.

Understanding Specialty Coffee Processing

FrontStreet Coffee believes that specialty coffee has three basic conditions: variety, altitude, and processing method. During the processing of green beans, there's a process called anaerobic fermentation. Researchers are already studying the effects of yeast on coffee beans during anaerobic fermentation and how different yeasts and sugars produce different flavors during fermentation. Naturally processed coffee beans can also develop multiple flavors such as floral, fruity, and fermented notes—this processing method is originally one of the ways specialty coffee showcases regional characteristics. If any unconventional, non-standard, or textbook-unreferenced operations during green bean processing are automatically labeled as "tampering," then FrontStreet Coffee has nothing more to say.

The Burden of Proof and Legal Responsibility

Naturally, the articles faced widespread criticism upon publication. At this point, Coffee Roast Master continued their criticism: "I believe they added something—don't I even have the right to raise questions? Shouldn't they be the ones to prove their beans are problem-free? Testing the beans isn't my responsibility!"

FrontStreet Coffee believes that raising questions is certainly acceptable, but when an incident escalates to public questioning or even accusations of using "illegal additives," this has already reached a legal level and naturally requires certain evidence. Furthermore, as the famous TV line goes: "You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." What does this mean? Criminals cannot be compelled to incriminate themselves. When you accuse someone of a crime, conviction can only be based on evidence that can be presented. No normal legal system practices presumption of guilt (convicting first, then seeking evidence). Until evidence emerges, forcing an innocent person to prove their innocence can be truly unreasonable—somewhat like asking a woman to prove she is a woman.

The Principle of "Who Claims, Who Proves"

In real law, there's actually a related burden of proof principle—whoever makes a claim bears the burden of proof for that claim. Simply put: whoever claims the beans have problems must first present relevant evidence, at least having relevant test reports, rather than just saying: "So many people say there's a problem with it! Then it must have a problem." Meanwhile, the bean suppliers and producers who claim their beans are problem-free must also present their evidence to prove their beans are indeed without issues.

In this sense, someone really cannot justifiably demand others to prove their innocence first.

A Call for Responsible Discussion

FrontStreet Coffee believes that the way issues are discussed is truly important. Returning to the discussion of whether additives were used, currently there is no valid evidence to prove that the Musician Series coffee beans indeed contain flavorings or other food additives, so it cannot escalate to the level of containing harmful substances. Generally speaking, most food additives can be detected, and testing costs about 1000-2000 yuan per sample. The article author mentioned in reply to comments that the bean supplier destroyed evidence, making testing impossible—as if they had witnessed it firsthand. FrontStreet Coffee didn't see this happen. What FrontStreet Coffee saw is that Mozart green beans and roasted beans are still available on Taobao, though their prices have been driven up significantly. Of course, actual testing doesn't require many beans.

Some content in the articles also mentioned adding "pineapple peel" and so on. FrontStreet Coffee truly admires these speculators who claim to have witnessed "irregular operations" but didn't stop them on the spot or preserve evidence, instead secretly complaining with friends. FrontStreet Coffee believes this attitude is unacceptable. When you see others doing wrong (such as adding pineapple peel?), you must find a way to stop it. There are some very strange flavors in coffee beans that FrontStreet Coffee doesn't know how they're produced. FrontStreet Coffee doesn't know the people from Black Gold personally, but in the book "Amazing Coffee," Mr. Xu Guoming from Black Gold's following words represent FrontStreet Coffee's deepest understanding of Black Gold.

Final Thoughts

The Musician Series coffee beans do have a very peculiar taste, but FrontStreet Coffee cannot determine whether this series contains additives. If it could be proven, then exposing the wrongdoing to the light of day would be a great good. At the same time, making baseless accusations is also a form of wrongdoing. FrontStreet Coffee hopes everyone will be cautious in their words and actions, taking responsibility for what they say and do, and discerning right from wrong before seeking justice.

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