Fermentation: How does it work?

The sugar in mucilage is broken down into simpler substances. Either aerobic, with oxygen, or anaerobic, without oxygen, fermentation is a tricky process. The two can be combined by moving coffee beans from a fermentation tank with oxygen to water without oxygen, or vice versa.

There are three types of fermentation:

• Washed: beans are dupulped completely.

• Honey: a small about of pulp is left behind for drying, called ‘honey’.

• Dried: berries are completely dried, leaving all pulp behind for later removal.

To ferment, steps must be exactly replicated for consistent results. Natural processes are easier to reproduce. Take notes and cup your coffee, learn how to do that here.

Fermentation is a gamble, where the results can highlight unique flavors in coffee beans or ruin the products completely. Detail the procedure each time, any part matters!