Acoustic Java CEO David Fullerton’s new article, “Roasting Terroir Coffees: Approaching Origin with Intention,” has just been published in Roast Magazine!
From the article:
AT EL VERGEL-A PIONEERING COFFEE farm in Tolima, Colombia, run by Forest Coffee-I've tasted many truly amazing coffees, arranged by intensity from classic washed varieties to controlled fermentations to co-fermented fruit bombs. I love novelty, so I find co-fermented profiles unbelievable-in a good way. But I couldn't help wondering: At what point does it stop being coffee? Once outside the comfort zone, where do we draw the line? Between a honey-processed Ethiopian Gesha inoculated with Japanese koji and a Colombian variety co-fermented with hybrid Isabella grapes, is one more authentic?
I asked Elias Bayter, Forest's director of processing, and his answer was eye-opening: Bayter believes the Gesha, despite its imported genetics and mold, is arguably more authentic, or at least more easily classifiable as specialty coffee, because the koji enhances the natural flavor profile, whereas the grapes, though more local, overpower it. Inspired by the work of experimental coffee processors, and especially by Forest Coffee's work at El Vergel, I'd like to explore how variety, process and place converge-and what that means for coffee roasters.
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