Introduction to Rum Barrel Fermentation Processing Method and Flavor Evaluation of Honduras Sherry Whiskey Barrel Coffee Beans

When you drink coffee, you might notice and taste fermented, wine-like aromas in your cup. However, these are simply natural flavors produced during the coffee bean fermentation process. When you encounter a coffee with particularly rich wine-like aromas, it has most likely undergone barrel fermentation treatment. At FrontStreet Coffee, we offer several barrel-processed coffees, such as the FrontStreet Coffee San José from Colombia, FrontStreet Coffee's Lychee Lan from Honduras, and FrontStreet Coffee Sherry coffee beans. They all possess special wine-like aromas combined with coffee's original fragrance.

The Pioneer of Barrel Processing

At FrontStreet Coffee, our FrontStreet Coffee Sherry Whiskey Barrel fermented coffee beans from Honduras represent the most iconic wine-flavored coffee. When discussing FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry Whiskey Barrel coffee beans, we must mention the pioneer of barrel processing methods.

The earliest use of barrel fermentation for coffee processing was at Colombia's San José Estate. In addition to running the coffee estate, the owner of San José Estate also produced rum oak barrels and brewed rum. One day, while his wife Monsalve Botero was helping fill distilled liquid into barrels for fermentation, she had an inspiration: if coffee beans were placed in oak barrels that had previously held wine, could they also produce wine-like flavors? Thus, starting in 2013, Monsalve Botero began experimenting with low-temperature fermentation of coffee using Colombian oak barrels of different vintages. In 2017, she successfully created her ideal combination.

Honduran Sherry Coffee

This FrontStreet Coffee Sherry coffee from Honduras' Mocca Estate also uses barrel fermentation processing, specifically refined washed whiskey sherry barrel fermentation. Honduras is located in northern Central America, between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, making it a typical two-ocean country. With its mountainous terrain, it's highly suitable for growing coffee and bananas. Although Honduras' coffee industry developed later compared to neighboring countries like Guatemala and Nicaragua, this doesn't affect the subsequent development of its coffee industry, given Honduras' naturally superior geographical conditions for coffee cultivation.

In the late 18th century, Spanish merchants first introduced coffee to Honduras. In 1804, Honduras began small-scale coffee cultivation. After 1970, coffee trees were planted throughout Honduras. In 2011, Honduras' coffee bean production surpassed coffee-producing countries like Costa Rica and Guatemala. Notably, in 1975, Brazil encountered severe frost damage, causing a sharp reduction in coffee production. During this time, Honduras experienced significant supply shortages, and from then on, Honduras' coffee bean production began to develop. In 2004, Honduras held its first Cup of Excellence (COE) competition, which continues to this day. In 2011, Honduras became the highest coffee-producing country in Central America and the world's second-largest Arabica coffee producer (the Catuai variety accounts for nearly half of the country's Arabica coffee cultivation area). The FrontStreet Coffee Sherry coffee variety is a single mixed variety of Caturra, Catuai, and Pacas.

Masaguara Region and Processing Method

The Sherry coffee region is located in Masaguara, a city in the Intibucá province of southwestern Honduras. Coffee beans are grown at altitudes of 1500-1700 meters, where Mocca Estate is the origin of this wine-flavored coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry coffee from Mocca Estate uses refined washed whiskey sherry barrel fermentation. Freshly picked coffee cherries first undergo refined washing, then are placed in barrels that previously aged sherry wine for low-temperature fermentation for 30-40 days (at approximately 15-20°C), followed by shade drying. Sherry barrels are those used by sherry distilleries in the whiskey industry for aging.

The sherry wine production process involves the Solera System aging procedure. This process refers to the method of blending and aging sherry of different vintages after fortification, which is what creates sherry's unique flavors. FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry coffee beans exhibit aromas of sherry wine, vanilla, and cream.

Brewing Method

For brewing FrontStreet Coffee's Sherry wine-flavored coffee beans, since this coffee already shows distinct vanilla and cream aromas during cupping, we chose the Hario V60 to highlight its sweet fragrance. The V60 dripper's relatively fast flow rate allows for clear flavor layers and prominent aromas in the extracted coffee.

Brewing Parameters:

Water temperature: 90°C

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Medium-fine grind (BG 5R: China standard 20-mesh screen pass rate 58%)

Bloom with approximately twice the coffee weight in water (33g), ending the bloom when the coffee bed changes from wet to dry appearance, approximately 30 seconds.

Continue with a small water stream, pouring at the center to 121g, then continue pouring to 225g when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed. Remove the dripper when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed. (Timing starts from the beginning of blooming) Total extraction time: 1'40"

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Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473