We’ve had an exciting week! Our new crops of Poaquil (Washed, Honey, and Natural), arrived yesterday, and we’re so ready to share them with you! Overall acidity is down across the board, the Honey is sweeter than ever, and the Natural is a fruit bomb! We’re so proud of the amazing job the Co-Op has done for us this year, so happy to report we’ve been able to reward them with even higher premiums for their Honey and Natural this year, and so eager to start roasting and drinking all these amazing coffees with all of you!
Of course, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to re-visit the topic of processing methods, and how a process that begins thousands of miles away, at the farm, impacts the flavors in your cup in such a big way! Coffee processing is what transforms a coffee cherry into a coffee “bean” (technically, a seed) that’s ready to be roasted - which means all - yes, all - the coffee in the world is “processed” (i.e. nobody brews ‘roasted cherries’). There’s two main ways to achieve this: (1) “Wet” processing - aka. “Washed”, under which coffee beans/seeds are throughly submerged - and literally - washed with water to remove any cherry and pulp components prior to drying and (2) “Dry” processing - which do not use (or use very little) water, as the cherry is not removed (Naturals) or is only partially removed (Honeys) prior to drying.
The main resulting difference is that Wet Processed/Washed coffees won’t have any sugars or enzymes that can be fermented as the beans dry… while Dry Processed/Natural/Honey coffees will have lots of them (the exact amount will depend on a few factors like cherry ripeness and sugar concentration, and the amount of pulp left behind). As a result, these coffees will undergo a series of fermentation reactions - i.e. the breakdown of carbohydrates and sugars by enzymes, environmental bacteria (mostly Lactobacillus, widely used in dairy fermentations), and yeasts (from the same awesome Saccharomyces genus also used in bread and beer production!). The end result of these fermentations (when perfectly controlled)? More sweetness and body in your cup, and a lot more flavor complexity - including stronger and more specific fruit notes (i.e. raisin) and a more lingering finish. In contrast, Washed coffees tend to be cleaner and more “well-balanced” (i.e. just the right amount of sweetness and acidity), and feature more prominently those characteristic roasted notes with chocolate and nutty undertones.
We hope you’ll give the new Poaquil crops a try! We’ll also be sampling them regularly in the next few weeks… along with our awesome new “UMOJA” from the Democratic Republic of Congo - which is another high-impact coffee changing lives (watch farmers’ testimonies @ethosroasters), and adding incredible variety and depth to our coffee offerings. It is also a Washed Bourbon (like Poaquil), yet features a completely different flavor profile (earthy, sweet, bold yet with a slight fruity/winey character), reflective of the unique growing conditions that make African coffees so special!
Thank you so, so much for making all of this possible - our travel may still be restricted - but this is still, and will always be - the journey of our lives! What an amazing privilege it is to get to make a difference for those who need it most, when they need it most… and I always hope that you can also feel that joy, and all of our gratitude and love every time you brew Ethos at home!
So deeply grateful to get to roast and Brew Greatness with you,
Lisbeth
P.S. The same day our 5 pallets of Poaquil were delivered… we also got another special delivery - of our brand new, custom-built 10-kilo roaster! This will be replacing our smallest roaster and adding more capacity, flexibility, and technology to your roastery - we’ll be working as fast as possible on the installation so it’ll be ready and at your service this Holiday season! We’re also hoping to be able to do some (limited-capacity, socially-distanced) events so you can see it in person this Winter!