Tastes like: Intentionally withheld — taste all four and compare for yourself
Light Roast | Finca San Miguel Urias | Region: Antigua, Guatemala | Processing: A four-part fermentation study
Shipping: All coffee is roasted and shipped in the first half of September. We'll prioritize shipments that have other products added to the order.
About the Coffees
Same starting material, four different versions — built to show what fermentation actually does to a single lot. When people taste "fermented" coffees, they rarely get the un-fermented version alongside for comparison. This set gives you that control.
Control — Mechanically Demucilaged (no fermentation) The baseline. Mucilage removed by machine, no microbes involved. This is the coffee's genetics and growing practices, unaltered.
Wild Fermentation A 48-hour submerged ferment with local, wild microbes — the traditional method most coffees go through, where whatever's already present breaks down the mucilage.
Lactobacillus (inoculated) A 48-hour submerged ferment with Lactobacillus. The bacteria enhance organic acid production, pushing brightness and complexity.
Saccharomyces Yeast (inoculated) A 48-hour submerged ferment with Saccharomyces yeast. The yeast enhances flavor precursors, shaping body and complexity.
This is an educational set — a conversation about the power and limits of controlled fermentation, not another extreme co-ferment.
About Lucia Solis & James Hoffmann:
Lucia Solis is a coffee fermentation consultant who came to coffee from wine — trained in viticulture and enology at UC Davis, with nine years in Napa winemaking before turning to coffee in 2014. She's since worked with producers in fifteen-plus countries, runs Luxia Coffee Solutions out of Guatemala, and hosts the Making Coffee podcast. This set was created with James Hoffmann — World Barista Champion and author — as part of The Fermentation Project: a single lot split into micro-lots using rigorous, tradition-rooted methods to reveal what fermentation genuinely changes.
Our light roasts develop their best flavors after 2-3 weeks, peak around 4 weeks, and remain delicious for longer. For extended freshness, consider freezing the coffee to preserve its quality even longer.
