What is the meaning of coffee CM treatment? characteristics of flavor and taste of coffee beans treated with carbon dioxide impregnation

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When it comes to the treatment of coffee, in addition to the sun, water washing, honey treatment, wet planing method, in recent years, there is also a method called CM treatment. What is the CM treatment?

There are many ways to treat coffee beans, although beans determine the genes of coffee, but different treatments can give coffee beans a completely different flavor trend. There is no doubt that the most popular treatment at this stage is "anaerobic fermentation".

In recent years, the "anaerobic fermented" coffee beans have shone brilliantly on the stage of the WBC finals, and CM has almost become a synonym for "match beans". Five of the top six contestants in the 2018 WBC chose "anaerobic fermented" coffee beans as their "weapons".

"carbon dioxide impregnation treatment", English for Carbonic Maceration, referred to as "CM treatment".

CM treatment can give coffee a more complex aroma and reduce the sharp acetic acid taste.

The CM process itself has been evolving since its birth, and its successful evolution is best demonstrated by its two world championships in 15 and 18 years respectively.

Fermentation can improve the quality of coffee, but in some cases it lowers the cup test score by at least 8 points. Especially when we test the cup of boutique coffee with a score of 80-92, 8 points is a big difference.

Fermentation is a scientific explanation that involves the metabolic process and the energy release of organic molecules in the absence of oxygen. In food and beverage production, fermentation is used to indicate changes in food in the presence of microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast, which can lead to the production of ethanol (alcohol), carbon dioxide and / or lactic acid and acetic acid. In short, fermentation refers to the decomposition of sugar and starch into acid or alcohol.

Yeasts and bacteria are important for fermentation. Yeast is a microorganism, a natural wild yeast found in grapes, cocoa beans and other fruits. It appears in the processing of wine, cocoa and coffee beans. Bacteria are called Lactobacillus.

Fermented ingredients

Basically all coffee beans undergo a certain degree of fermentation in the process of treatment. Almost all washed coffee beans go through a deliberate fermentation stage, and the seeds of the coffee fruit are usually fermented overnight after peeling. Sometimes it is put in water before washing, channel grading and drying. Soaking the fermented coffee beans in water will reduce the number of microorganisms, but the fermentation will continue during the soaking stage.

Sun-dried or peeled honey-treated sun-dried coffee beans will also produce external fermentation. When the mucus inside the fruit or on the outside of the coffee bean is dry, as the coffee bean dries, the microbes actively digest the sugar in the fruit and change the flavor of the coffee bean.

Unlike winemakers who use yeast strains in wine fermentation, farmers ferment coffee beans with their own microbes and yeasts. At this point, the fermentation of coffee beans is more similar to cocoa. There are inherent microorganisms in many coffee beans with unique flavor of origin. After fermentation, these natural ingredients affected by wind soil and cultivated varieties play an important role in flavor performance.

There is no perfect variety of coffee, and there is no perfect process, but if we can better understand the flavor complexity of different varieties of coffee beans and their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the CM process or other possibilities for controlling fermentation, we can try to emphasize the strengths of these beans and improve their weaknesses. Once we have the perfect fermentation formula, we can have the ability and technology to replicate this flavor.

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