EXP011: RASPBERRY
RASPBERRY CO-FERMENT: THE PROCESS
Edwin’s method for this lot involves two separate whole cherry fermentations, each managed with different levels of oxygen restriction. The second fermentation is longer and uses a formulation made from coffee cherry must, pure glucose, dehydrated fruit, and fresh raspberry pulp. This mixture is blended into a solution and circulated through the fermenting cherries at scheduled intervals. After fermentation, the cherries are dried as a full natural on raised beds. Each stage contributes distinct characteristics, resulting in a coffee with a unique profile.
The process begins with a 24 hour anaerobic fermentation of fresh, hand-sorted, washed whole cherries. During fermentations of this type, even short ones, the fruit softens, increases in sweetness and acetic activity, and releases a concentrated sugary runoff known as mossto or must. This must is similar to the runoff created when grapes and skins are crushed in winemaking.
After the first fermentation, the cherries are drained and placed back into tanks. The separated must is fermented on its own with brewer’s yeast, pure glucose, dehydrated fruits, and fresh raspberry. The coffee then undergoes 120 hours of oxygen-deprived fermentation. During this stage, the flavored must is circulated through the cherries every 24 hours for a total of five circulations.
Once the second fermentation is complete, the unwashed cherries are moved to Edwin’s greenhouse and dried for 10 days on raised screen beds as a natural process coffee, with the mucilage still attached to the parchment.
When fully dried, the coffee is conditioned for 8 days in a warehouse to stabilize internal humidity. It is then sealed in GrainPro bags for long-term storage and cupped repeatedly over the following weeks for quality evaluation.
The cultivar used is Caturra, a high-quality but common variety in Colombia that was widely grown prior to the coffee rust outbreaks of the 2010s. The genetics are not unusual in this context. The distinctiveness of this lot comes from the care given to tree management, harvesting, the specific blend of cherries, and the detailed processing approach designed by Edwin. This coffee reflects highly controlled processing rather than unusual plant genetics.