Specialty coffee · Worth knowing

Specialty coffee is undergoing a major processing revolution driven by controlled fermentation techniques borrowed from winemaking. Producers in Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Brazil, and Ethiopia now treat processing as a flavor differentiation tool, using sealed oxygen-free tanks, cultivated yeast strains, and extended fermentations to create coffees with wine-like qualities and intense fruit notes. Key techniques include anaerobic fermentation (producing tropical fruit and lactic notes), carbonic maceration (creating vivid red fruit with sparkling acidity), coferments (adding fruit pulp or spices to steer flavor), and thermal shock (cycling temperatures to amplify sweetness and clarity). These experimental lots now command upwards of $50 per pound for green coffee, though the trend has divided the industry—traditionalists criticize coferments as flavored coffee in disguise, while the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama formally opposed them in 2024. California's fermentation-forward food culture has embraced the trend ahead of mainstream coffee consumers, creating a gap where baristas increasingly function as sommeliers explaining complex processing methods to customers encountering unfamiliar terminology on café menus.

PJ's Coffee is opening a new location on Maple Street in New Orleans, where founder Phyllis Jordan opened the original shop in 1978. The brand, now with nearly 200 locations, maintains its commitment to high-quality 100% Arabica beans and superior roasting techniques developed by Jordan over more than 45 years. The refreshed coffeehouse will feature contemporary design while honoring the traditions that established PJ's as a fixture of New Orleans coffee culture, including its signature Original Cold Brew made using a special cold-drip process that reduces acidity by two-thirds.