Making Coffee with Lucia Solis

I find the term "over fermentation" to be especially annoying. From a biology point of view this term is nonsense.
When coffee professionals use this term it's understood to mean a defect, usually vinegar, "boozy" or like rotting fruit. Everyone agrees that it's a negative trait for a coffee to have. I think it's important to be able to identify this trait but I think this label has held fermentation back and made many (producers and roasters alike) shy away from a process that when controlled can enhance coffee quality.
In this week's episode I answer a listener question about double fermentation and Brettanomyces that gives me an opportunity to untangle the concept from the name we've given it.
"Double fermentation" is another common colloquial phrase mistaken for a scientific label.
It gives the impression that there are two fermentations, but this is not what's happening biologically.
I also talk about the Russian River Brewing Company in Windsor California. I visited earlier this year in July and got to see how they use Brettanomyces and try their Brett Beer. The coffee industry is borrowing from the Beer industry as well as the wine industry and beer yeasts are becoming more popular in mills across Central America. This is an exciting time for coffee microbiology but there are a few cautions I want to give about this particular yeast.
For the visually inclined: I have 3 videos that will breakdown the coffee fermentation process:
https://www.luxia.coffee/instructional-videos

Hello friends,

In today’s podcast episode I get to do something a little different. Instead of giving you my thoughts on a particular coffee topic, I’m answering questions from 4 different listeners. Ideally I would like to have an episode for each question because they are rich with topics but many listeners have submitted questions through my website. The pile is growing quite large and I think it would be more helpful if I could keep answers brief to address a higher number of questions.
Today's questions focus on fermentation, yeast, bacteria and temperature:

• I remain skeptical about the role and importance of fermentation on coffee quality and flavor.
• Would the amount of water added into the fermentation tank affect the concentration of fermentation by products found in the final product?
• Is fermentation temperature is largely responsible for flavor differences between submerged (in-water) and dry (out-of-water) coffee fermentations?
• I have always been curious as to whether it is primarily yeast or bacteria causing the fermentation inside the fruit?
• How would a taster know the difference between yeast and bacteria fermented coffee?

Today I am joined by Jamie Isetts, Sourcing Consultant.
In this episode we cover:

• What a green buyer does
• How Jamie became a green buyer
• How to organize a coffee contract
• Communication red flags between producers and green buyers
• Strategies for long lasting relationships

Get in touch with Jamie Isetts

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Cover Art by: Nick Hafner
Intro song: Elijah Bisbee

Today you get to be a fly on the wall of a consulting session between myself and a coffee producer in Uganda. The Coffee Gardens is a newer project of coffee producers who have partnered with select coffee farmers in Eastern Uganda. They currently work directly with 300 small holder farmers. They have a micro-processing station in the foothills of Mount Elgon.
This episode might be most relevant to a coffee producer, so if you know any, please pass this episode along to them. Especially if they are curious about using yeast to control their fermentations.
Today we cover how to process undesirable cherries, we talk about the challenges in scaling up from a small trial to full scale lots. We also discuss yeast usage in very rural settings, is it even appropriate? At what volume should a producer consider using yeast?
Even if you’re not a coffee producer I hope you will listen to the questions and concerns of a coffee producer and better understand their reality.
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Cover Art by: Nick Hafner
Into song: Elijah Bisbee
Mentioned in the Episode:
The Coffee Gardens

I have wanted to make this episode for a long time, but I wasn't sure how to make it work. Finally some research for Dr. Flavio Borem helped crack the topic for me and the result is today's new episode.

Things we discuss on this episode:

• Washed processed that tastes like a natural
• Process-forward coffees, funky coffee
• Neutral processing
• The need for speed, & gentle drying
• Drying is not just removing water
• Biggest producer mistakes, not upgrading the drying
• Fallacy of terroir