What the hell is Anaerobic Lactic Fermentation with a Thermal Shock Washing

We have an insane new coffee! It’s an Anaerobic Lactic Fermentation with red plum and a Thermal Shock Washing. Processed by Diego Bermudez and produced at the farm: El Paraiso in Colombia. 

He is a really progressive young coffee processor who likes to experiment. So.. what the hell is Anaerobic Lactic Fermentation with a Thermal Shock Washing?

Let us explain what Diego is doing with his coffee to be able to let it taste this amazing. 

There’s a strict regimen where cleanliness and controlled environment are key. All cherries are washed thoroughly with filtered water to remove all microorganisms present on the skins. After this, he introduces his own recipes of microorganisms into the fermentation process. 

Diego is super secretive about these special recipes because this is how he makes his coffee taste so great. So to be honest the only thing we can do is speculate a bit about this secret recipe. So what he might have done is that he took the microorganisms from the skin of red plum fruit to use it during fermentation, which gives the coffee this amazing sweetness. 

He also made sure the fermentation was an anaerobic lactic fermentation. Which means in a closed tank, where oxygen cannot get in but build up pressure can be released through valves. The reason for this can be that when the fermentation takes place in a good place for lactic acids, you produce less alcohol so the coffee becomes less boozy or winey. Maybe Diego made this decision because the coffee becomes even fruitier after lactic fermentation. It’s hard to say what this decision is based on, but let’s say it was a great decision and Diego processed some damn delicious coffee. 

What else did he do? He controls the level of fermentation by keeping track of temperature and PH. After this he uses his thermal shock washing process, by using first warm (40c) and then cold (12c)  water, which guarantees the spectacular flavours and aromas are transferred to and absorbed better in the beans. 

Not sure what this thermal shock process did to the coffee bean. We roasted the coffee and we roast the coffee with a profile which we also use for a high quality washed Ethiopian coffee. We love it! Unfortunately we bought the last bags of this small lot, we are so looking forward to roasting it to its fullest potential and hear about the reaction of the coffee lovers who are going to enjoy this unique coffee.