What is Fermented Coffee?
You may have heard that fermented coffee is right on trend. It has certainly grown significantly in popularity across the world.
But controversy surrounds the trend and the sub-category of co-fermented coffee in particular.
While all coffee undergoes some form of traditional fermentation to remove the fruit's sticky mucilage, the modern trend revolves around controlled, experimental, and additive-driven fermentation.
What's all the fuss about and is it worth exploring fermented coffee?
What is fermentation?
Fermentation is a natural chemical reaction. It is a metabolic process during which microorganisms including bacteria, yeasts and molds break down carbohydrates into alcohols, acids or gasses.
What is fermented coffee?
Most coffee beans are subject to minimal fermentation at the processing stage to remove or partly remove the sticky layer that surrounds them. One of three processing methods may be used:
- Washing: Beans are depulped, fermented briefly in water to loosen the sticky fruit layer and are then rinsed clean, and dried.
- Natural: Whole coffee cherries are dried intact in the sun, allowing a slower, fruitier fermentation process to occur around the seed.
- Honey Processing: Part of the sticky mucilage remains on the bean as it dries, balancing sweetness and body.
Fermented coffees are different. Specialty producers add a further stage of processing before roasting to build complex flavours such as tropical fruit, wine, or florals. Producers combine coffee beans with bacteria and yeast before leaving them to rest. The beans are then washed, dried and roasted.
Some producers take things a step further as they add extra ingredients during the fermentation process such as fruits and spices. This practice is known as co-fermentation.
Why is co-fermentation controversial?
You might be wondering why flavoured coffee would spark controversy but it definitely has and here's why:
- Terroir: Terroir is the "taste of the place". The combination of environmental factors in each coffee producing region including soil type, climate, altitude and ecosystems, dictate how the beans will taste. This is why beans from Ethiopia taste floral while beans from Brazil are more nutty and chocolatey. Critics argue that intense fruity or spicy notes come from the added fruits or spices rather than the bean’s inherent origin, thereby undermining the concept of terroir.
- Deception: Some beans marketed as "co-fermented" have tested positive for synthetic fixatives like propylene glycol, revealing that the beans have been infused with flavourings rather than subjected to natural microbial co-fermentations.
- Competition Fairness: Co-ferments engineered for extreme sensory experiences have forced major competitions to disqualify entrants or at least to rethink whether beans that have been subjected to experimental processing should compete against traditionally processed coffees.
- Flavour Classification: Purists are concerned that co-fermentation can mask poor-quality base beans.
Are fermented coffee beans healthier?
You are probably aware that fermented foods boast health benefits due to the probiotics (gut-friendly bacteria) that they contain. Sadly, the roasting process kills off the probiotics in fermented coffee beans.
But there are benefits to drinking coffee made with fermented beans:
- Fermented beans are easier to digest as the harder to digest elements of the beans are pre-digested during fermentation.
- Fermented coffee contains less tannins. As tannins can stain your teeth, this is a good thing!
- Lower acidity levels mean fermented coffee it is less likely to trigger acid reflux, gastritis, or irritation.
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