How many hours does it take to ferment coffee? can coffee ferment? can you still drink coffee when it's fermented?

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How exactly does coffee fermentation happen?

Producers can choose from a number of different ways to ferment their coffee. As a newly popular topic, there is still a lot to learn, and experimentation can help improve quality.

At O Coffee, Carlos told me they followed the following process:

"For naturally processed coffee…the coffee is sent to a fermenter with a capacity of 5000 litres, made of masonry and coated with ceramic tiles. This is the process of aerobic fermentation.

"For brewed coffee, they pass through the ecological epilator, without the presence of water, retaining the maximum amount of mucus attached to the parchment. They are also herded into these tanks and remain there for varying periods of time-depending on the ambient temperature."

So, once the cherries are in the jar, what's next?

Carlos explains,"All fermentation conditions, aerobic, anaerobic and mixed, the time can vary from 16 to 25 hours, we consider the process complete when we have a Brix reading (indicating the possible sugar content)8°Bx (8 g of sucrose per 100 g of sample) and control the pH around 4.5, do not allow below this value."

Of course, each difference in approach produces different results. "In general, naturally processed coffee works better than brewed coffee. We were able to raise the score of these coffees by an average of three (cupping) points,"Carlos said.

"It's important to stress that it's not just a matter of grades; the complexity of these coffees has also been enhanced." The sensory descriptions of these coffees become richer and more complex."

Consistency and fermentation: friend or foe?

But good coffee isn't just high quality: it's also consistently high quality. This increases safety for coffee buyers and roasters as well as producers.

Carlos told me that you can't always predict the outcome of coffee fermentation experiments. However, there are ways to improve repeatability.

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Producers should understand the process behind fermentation so they can make informed decisions. They should be trained in quality analysis, such as cupping, so they can assess the impact of experiments-and make changes if needed.

They should know their own processes and follow them accurately; this will help ensure quality and consistency. They should make sure the equipment is clean. They should record data during and after fermentation so that they can understand, control, and repeat these processes.

Carlos stressed the importance of knowing Brix, pH, fermentation time, temperature, etc. Finally, he poured the coffee into the cup. The more information they have, the easier it is to use fermentation to get high-quality coffee.

Because it is not done well, fermentation can bring disaster to producers. But if done well, it can make delicious, unique coffee that consumers love.

After all, fermentation is inevitable. It's just a matter of choosing whether to limit it or accept it.

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