What Are Fermented Coffee Beans? Why Ferment? What Fermentation Methods Exist? Honduras Lychee Orchid

Introduction to Coffee Fermentation

Fermentation refines the sweetness, body and acidity of coffee. From bread to wine, fermentation is the latest buzzword in the food industry, and now it is making its way into the coffee world. Roasters around the globe are using fermentation techniques to unlock exotic flavors and notes in coffee.

What is Fermented Coffee?

Fermented coffee, also known as cultured coffee, refers to coffee that has undergone fermentation after harvest while still in cherry form, and again after pulping and hulling, before roasting, as green coffee. It is a specially processed green coffee that, once roasted, ground and brewed, produces aromas and flavors different from, and many would say better than, unfermented coffee.

"Fermentation is not new to coffee. Most coffee produced worldwide has always been fermented primarily in plain water to let enzymes break down, creating sugars and providing a smooth mouthfeel. But the coffee-loving community is now experimenting with different yeast and bacterial strains and with mediums beyond water to soak coffee beans, helping them absorb different flavors and giving more complexity to the same coffee variety grown for generations."

Do not expect fermented coffee to contain probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that aid digestion. Coffee fermentation happens before the beans are roasted, so any probiotics present after fermentation are eliminated during roasting. Even so, fermentation enhances the sweetness, body and acidity of coffee and can even add fruity notes.

Fermentation Methods Available Today

Barrel Fermentation

Many readers will already be familiar with this method, as it came up when we introduced Sherry coffee. Barrel fermented coffee involves gently fermenting green coffee beans in barrels previously used to make alcoholic beverages and spirits such as wine, whiskey, rum and bourbon. Aged this way, green coffee takes on many of the flavor characteristics and profiles of oak and spirits, creating unique and delicious beans.

In addition to Sherry, FrontStreet Coffee also offers Lychee Orchid from the Moca Manor in Honduras, which is fermented in brandy barrels. It has a brandy-like sensation on entry, with a rich mouthfeel and strong honey sweetness.

Fruit Fermentation

The "Orange you Curious" blend introduced by Maverick & Farmer Coffee, the founders of Flying Squirrel Coffee, uses a unique barrel fermentation process in which fresh Arabica coffee beans are fermented with orange juice for 24 hours. Natural yeasts on orange peels and coffee skins act on fructose, producing a truly unique blend that is incredibly refreshing. They also create a milk and honey specialty coffee in which beans are fermented with lactobacillus, from milk of cows on their own farm. The coffee is then further processed using the honey sun-drying method. A double delight, it produces a wonderfully mellow coffee with notes of milk, toffee and melon.

Raw Sugar Fermented Coffee

This unique coffee is fermented in raw sugar before undergoing washed parchment processing. Its flavor profile is further enhanced by roasting it to a medium-dark level.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Among the fermentation styles above, barrel fermentation is the easiest place to start, and FrontStreet Coffee roasts two standout examples. The FrontStreet Sherry comes from the Moca Estate in Masaguara, Honduras, at 1,500-1,700 meters, and is fermented in whiskey barrels, giving whiskey, vanilla cream, almond, dark chocolate and caramel in the cup. The FrontStreet Lychee Orchid, also from Moca Manor, is aged in brandy barrels and shows a brandy-like entry, a rich body and strong honey sweetness.

If you prefer a coffee built for balance rather than novelty, the FrontStreet Brazil Queen's Estate is a Yellow Bourbon from Mogiana, roasted medium to bring out sugarcane sweetness, fruit and chocolate, and it is an excellent everyday pour-over, moka pot or espresso bean.