Specialty coffee · Worth knowing

The Fermentation Project is a controlled study organized by James Hoffmann and Lucia Solis exploring four distinct fermentation processing methods applied to the same coffee lot from Finca San Miguel Urias in Guatemala's Antigua Valley. The kit includes 100g samples of each process: mechanically demucilaged (control with no fermentation), wild fermentation using local microbes, Lactobacillus-inoculated fermentation to enhance acidity and brightness, and yeast-inoculated fermentation to develop flavor precursors and body. All coffees will be roasted on August 11th and rested for three weeks before a global tasting event led by Hoffmann on September 5th or 6th, allowing direct comparison of how fermentation methods impact the same coffee's sensory profile.

Lot 215 from Janson Coffee Farm in Panama showcases a 48-hour anaerobic natural process applied to Green Tip Geisha beans at 1,700 meters elevation. The anaerobic fermentation in cherry increases fruit expression, sweetness, body, and aromatic intensity compared with washed processing, while the cherries were subsequently dried in a dark room for 12 days to frame the natural character in a measured way, emphasizing yellow stone fruit, citrus, and tea-like aromatics rather than heavy fermentation notes. The resulting cup displays yellow peach sweetness, white tea florality, and Meyer lemon citrus with a delicate, polished stone-fruit core and transparent finish that maintains the Geisha variety's characteristic structure and clarity.

A clean, bright Green Tip Geisha from Janson's farm in Volcán, Panama demonstrates how processing decisions shape cup profile. The washed process with 48-hour fermentation and 9-day raised-bed drying creates a structured, transparent cup that emphasizes the variety's floral and citrus qualities over ferment-forward characteristics. Grown at 1,700 meters elevation, this lot showcases how the Gesha variety at higher altitudes paired with careful processing execution—managed individually for traceability—produces delicate aromatics and refined acidity typical of specialty coffee from Panama's Tierras Altas highlands.