Sam of BlueHouse Coffee Goods and Jacob of Don Eli excited about their experiment!
It’s our job as Selva to be aware of market trends and to be able to translate them effectively to producers - especially around this time of year when processing takes place. We feel that by now it’s no secret that heavy honeys, naturals, and anaerobics are what the majority of roasters and consumers are expecting to see from Costa Rica; however not all producers are in the know about it - nor do they have the skill set to follow the new direction. What some of the first specialty buyers that came to Costa Rica five or ten years ago told producers to completely stay away from - they are now making special requests for them to do for even longer periods of time. It still kind of blows our mind to think about... For example, back-in-the-day, the fruit was expected to be pulped immediately after picking and put out to dry as quickly as possible after that. Any sort of fermentation was to be completely avoided unless it was used for the sole purpose of removing mucilage from the seed. Today, buyers are making special requests for coffees that are left in tanks or bags for days on end and usually to be dried in the fruit.
New, larger fermentation tanks at El Cedral in Santa Maria de Dota - Tarrazu
The nuance here is that, it is not as simple as just leaving the fruit in a tank in order to achieve the outcome that this new market is expecting. There is a lot of risk, investment, and experimenting at each individual wet mill that is required to produce a consistent and high performing fermented coffee. In the best of outcomes, a given farmer’s coffee can cup far better and stand out as more unique on the cupping table - fetching them a higher price for what might have otherwise been a classic coffee. In a bad scenario, the new processing system could malfunction when harvest time comes and/or the fermentation could have gone very wrong - turning out in a complete loss to the producer. We are very lucky to have producers, here in Costa Rica, that are open to new techniques! And although we as Selva are experts at analyzing and selecting coffees as well as managing relationships - we cannot claim to be fermentation authorities.
Jacob of Don Eli processing Yellow Bourbon Reposado Honey in El Llano de la Piedra
This is why we put our trust in the hands of the specialists to impart their knowledge to us and share it with producers. One of our favorite and most exciting fermentation and fruit processing experts to bounce ideas off of and recommend to producers is Daniel Batalla. Daniel comes from the West Valley growing region of Costa Rica and is an avid fruit aficionado - of which Costa Rica is a privileged place to be in for a fruit lover, because 1,000s of various fruit plants thrive here. On top of his expanding experience helping farmers ferment their harvest - he comes from a coffee producing background and has taken the Q-Processing course in Colombia. Frankly, he has an extremely strong passion for coffee, fermentations, all things fruits, environmentally conscious farming, and everything surrounding agriculture. We asked him to jot down some of his feelings about what’s going on for our interested community to read and here it is:
Daniel Batalla checking the “mosto” or coffee juice during a fermentation at Don Sabino
“Every year there's something new to talk about in specialty coffee, producers are always seeking innovation to modulate and improve their coffee's flavor profile, and often roasters and consumers demand exciting and interesting new combinations of aromas and attributes. This is true for coffee fermented under controlled conditions in airtight tanks, or commercially and colloquially called Anaerobic coffees. These are innovative processing methods that have been gaining popularity and are now common among specialty growers and processors in Costa Rica. I assure you that we are at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these processing methods and that we should stop categorizing them under one tag or under one flavor umbrella. This is because producers have discovered that they can radically change their coffees manipulating certain variables of their fermentations, i.e. turning the knobs to work in their favor. I will discuss how these novelty methods can open many doors for producers and also how they´ve become a challenge to make correctly and consistently.
Steven Vargas of Don Sabino at his brand-new fermentation station in Central Valley
Understanding how a controlled fermentation can contribute to creating body, acidity and flavor in a coffee is crucial to conduct a given fermentation in the desired way. Fermentation is a metabolic process led by microorganisms and enzymes that transforms complex organic molecules present in the pulp and mucilage into simple aromatic compounds (esters, ketones, terpenes, aliphatic acids, higher alcohols, furans, aldehydes, phenols...) that float around in the coffee must. This coffee must is the liquid surrounding the coffee seeds during a fermentation and it is concentrated with simple aromatic compounds, it works as a medium for the diffusion of these compounds into the seeds. These simple aromatic compounds penetrate the parchment layer until seeds become turgent with new components that weren't there before the fermentation. Later on, these compounds act as precursors during roasting in chemical reactions like Maillard and caramelization. Diversity and concentration of these products of fermentations steeped in the green seed are correlated with nuanced aromas and flavors in the final cup. So, by managing the variables that drive these fermentations, diverse cup qualities can be achieved.
Very well collected fruit waiting to be processed at La Isla Mico Mill in West Valley
Producers in the country are mostly practicing wild fermentations now, but they are just beginning to understand that they are the stewards of these fermentations and many opportunities can arise to create different coffees with these processes. Variables that modulate these fermentations are plenty, some of them include: the availability of oxygen or any other kind of gas (carbonic or nitric maceration), the kinds of microorganisms fermenting (alcoholic, lactic, acetic, malo-lactic), the temperature of the mass (thermophilic or mesophilic fermentation), and quantity or type of sugars in the tank (adulterated fermentations). Turning the knobs in the right direction can lead into new undiscovered lands of flavor and aroma, it's just a matter of time and trained effort for these places to be ventured.
A super sweet fermenting area at a larger wet mill near Cartago - Tobosi
Optimization of these processes is challenging and a huge barrier of entry for many producers. Often a huge investment in equipment and instruments has to be made by the producer to process these coffees and it plays a financial risk that can jeopardize an entire operation. After the investment, the producers also have to design protocols to guarantee replicability and consistent results. Furthermore, monitoring and systematization of fermentation data is crucial to understand what's taking place in the tanks and create a traceable process. Analyzing this data alongside with sensory evaluations of lots is important to make decisions to dial in fermentations. All of these steps are entirely new for the traditional coffee producer, which may seem daunting to take but are surely leading to new and diverse cups of coffee that will please and surprise many roasters and consumers.
Catuai being fermented in a tank at El Cedral near Santa Maria de Dota - Tarrazu
These processing methods are under scientific study at the moment from different research fields and perspectives in various parts of the world because of their novelty and complexity to the industry. In Costa Rica, I'm currently doing research on how native microorganism colonies, that reproduce inside of these tanks and ferment the sugars, pectins and peptides of the coffee fruit, can be harnessed and cultured for future inoculation. Aside from research, I partner with processors, producers and roasters to perform and educate about these fermentations. Innovative techniques and protocols have sprouted out of these collaborations like: isolating yeasts present in the coffee flower nectar and using them as a starter culture for pulped fermentations. Based on this work I've launched an instagram page where I´ll present some of my findings and also key ideas and practices I believe are necessary for high quality processing. Most of my work is concentrated at mills in Costa Rica working directly with coffee producers and in the lab, but I also try to scope out to understand where the research and trends regarding processing are heading. So no hesitation in reaching out, I'd appreciate some perspectives from different parts of the coffee chain and the world.”
An anaerobic being dried on raised beds near the center of Santa Maria de Dota
We want to thank Daniel for his insightful thoughts about the current events of these shifts in production and how we can make an impact on the details making it all happen. It’s always been important for the producers of Costa Rica to innovate as well as strive for quality and traceability. We’re a tiny, tiny country with a very high cost of production. It’s increasingly difficult to compete with the volumes and prices of other countries - particularly more washed and commercial coffees. So, CR coffees have always had to make themselves stand out with unique qualities and detailed transparency. Taking all of this into account, the Selva Team is here to guide and both producers and roasters through the jungle that is the ever transforming market and production that must follow it.
Maria Paula and Marianela getting exctied about this fermented natural in Santa Maria