The entire order ships in early/mid September. The live tasting takes place on 3 October.
THE FERMENTATION PROJECT "Tasting Kit" by James Hoffmann & Lucia Solis (2nd Release)
What influence does fermentation have? 1 coffee, 4 fermentations – let's find out. Be part of the exclusive live tasting with James Hoffmann and Lucia Solis on 3 October and order your kit now (4×60g).
Add-on: As a decaf roastery, I had to bring decaf into this experiment. The Extended Kit gives you the chance to taste the same El Vergel decaf as washed and natural (+2×60g).
Strictly limited quantities.
Nach The Decaf Project 2024 freuen wir uns, beim nächsten weltweiten Experiment und Live-Tasting-Event von James Hoffmann dabei zu sein – diesmal gemeinsam mit Fermentations-Spezialistin Lucia Solis, in Zusammenarbeit mit Caravela Coffee und Röstereien aus aller Welt – wie uns.
Das Ziel des Experiments ist es, die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen kontrollierter Fermentation besser zu verstehen. Ein Kaffee der Finca San Miguel Urias in Antigua, Guatemala, wurde aufgeteilt und nach vier verschiedenen Protokollen verarbeitet:
- MECHANICALLY DEMUCILAGED – No fermentation
Dient als Referenzpunkt in diesem Projekt. Das Tassenprofil entsteht ausschließlich aus Anbaupraktiken und den genetischen Eigenschaften der Varietät, ohne jeden Einfluss mikrobieller Aktivität. - WILD FERMENTATION – 48-hour submerged, Local wild microbes
Die Aufbereitungsmethode, die traditionell zum Einsatz kommt und die die meisten Kaffees durchlaufen: Die Mucilage wird von der natürlich vorkommenden Mikroorganismen-Population der Farm abgebaut. - LACTOBACILLUS INOCULATED – 48-hour submerged, Lactobacillus added
Zeigt, wie Fermentation mit Milchsäurebakterien die Bildung organischer Säuren fördern kann und damit Brightness und Komplexität in der Tasse beeinflusst. - YEAST INOCULATED – 48-hour submerged, Saccharomyces yeast added
Zeigt, wie Fermentation mit Hefe, die traditionell im Weinbau zum Einsatz kommt, die Bildung von Aromavorstufen fördern kann und damit Körper und Komplexität in der Tasse beeinflusst.
Wieso solltest du mitmachen?
- Vergleichbare Basis: Alle vier Varianten stammen vom gleichen Single-Origin-Kaffee – das macht den Einfluss der Fermentation direkt vergleichbar.
- Expert:innen-geführte Verkostung: James Hoffmann und weitere Expert:innen begleiten dich und erklären, wie sich die Methoden auf Geschmack, Säure, Körper und Aroma auswirken.
- Globale Community: Verkoste gemeinsam mit Kaffeeliebhaber:innen aus aller Welt. Wir werden auch ein Tasting-Event in Wien veranstalten. Mehr Infos dazu folgen noch.
So bist du dabei:
- Tasting-Kit bestellen: Sichere dir 4 × 60 g ganze Bohnen, frisch und rechtzeitig vor dem Event geröstet. Die Stückzahl ist limitiert – am besten gleich bestellen.
- Live-Tasting am 3. Oktober 2026 18 Uhr (5pm UK time): Sei dabei, wenn James Hoffmann durch das globale digitale Kaffee-Event führt. Mehr Infos auf www.thefermentationproject.com
Producer: Finca San Miguel Urias, Hector & Lilian Leal, operated under Rueda Farms
Origin: Antigua, Guatemala
Variety: ~85% Caturra, ~15% H1 and some Bourbon
Altitude: 1,460–1,540 MASL
Processes: washed with 4 fermentation styles
Importer-Exporter: Caravela Coffee
As a decaf roastery, I naturally wanted to bring decaf into this experiment too. Earlier this year I spent a week at El Vergel in Colombia and got to process my own coffee there – every step from picking to roasting. A great experience, and I learned a lot along the way.
El Vergel processes their decaf in two versions: washed and natural. The perfect addition to the experiment – same farm, same bean, same decaffeination, two processing protocols.
All coffees in The Fermentation Project are washed: the cherry skin and the mucilage are removed before drying. Natural means the beans dry inside the cherry and the skin is only removed afterwards.
WASHED
The whole coffee cherries first ferment in the fruit for 36 hours. They are then depulped (the skin is removed) and fermented for another 24 hours in open tanks to promote oxidation – with Pichia yeast to develop specific flavour profiles. Afterwards they dry on the patio for 4–5 days, are dried to their final moisture level in silos and stabilised for 10 days.
NATURAL
The whole coffee cherries ferment for 96 hours in hermetic blue tanks with Lactobacillus plantarum to control fermentation and enhance sensory complexity. The beans then dry inside the coffee cherry on the patio, followed by the silo. Only after drying is the skin removed.
Both coffees were then decaffeinated using the sugar cane process at Descafecol in Colombia, where ethyl acetate (EA) derived from sugar cane serves as a natural solvent and gently removes the caffeine.
Origin: Tolima, Colombia
Producer: El Vergel, Elías & Shady Bayter
Variety: Yellow & Red Caturra
Altitude: 1,450 MASL
Processing: Washed & Natural
Decaf process: Sugar cane (EA)
Importer-Exporter: Forest Coffee
17 August – Pre-order starts
Beginning of September – Roasting & packaging
3 October, 4 pm CEST (3 pm UK time) – Global live tasting with James Hoffmann
Roasting:
All four coffees are roasted with the same profile on our Roest P3000: same curve, same development time, same total roast time – for maximum precision and comparability.
The profile is light-medium, ideal for cupping.
About James Hoffmann
James has been working in the coffee industry for over 20 years. His main focus is coffee education – and his enthusiasm is contagious: more than 2.4 million people follow his YouTube channel. This project builds on previous tasting events, the most recent of which brought together over 20,000 participants worldwide.
About Lucia Solis
Lucia Solis studied viticulture and enology at the University of California, Davis, with a focus on microbiology and fermentation science. After a few years in wine production, she moved into coffee and now works with producers to develop more controlled, repeatable and practical fermentation protocols. Definitely worth a listen: her podcast "Making Coffee with Lucia Solis".
Speciality Decaf. Thoughtfully sourced. Freshly roasted in Vienna.
We're Austria's #1 decaf specialist and stand for a new generation of decaf: quality, transparency and simply INCREDIBLY GOOD.
Why are we taking part? Because fermentation is such a fascinating topic. What happens during fermentation decides what you taste – in decaf just as much as in "regular" coffee. We just love experiments like this, and a bit of caffeine isn't going to stop us in this case ;)
