Cordillera Del Fuego - Costa Rica

Process: Anaerobic

Varietal: Catuai, Caturra

Altitude: 1275 - 1350 masl

Producer: Cordillera del Fuego SA

Anaerobic fermentation starts with ripe coffee cherries harvested at 26 Brix, where the mucilage—the juice surrounding the bean—contains the main flavours. The sugar content of this mucilage varies depending on ripeness, variety, season, and soil type, resulting in a range of flavours. Selected donor coffees, also ripe, are pulped and processed to create a mucilage ‘gel’. This gel is added to stainless steel, sealed fermentation tanks along with the coffee beans, covering the parchment completely and mixed for evenness.

The sealed tanks build pressure from CO2 produced during fermentation, which lasts 18 to 23 hours and is carefully temperature-controlled to support specific yeast activity. From 15 hours onwards, pH is monitored to stop fermentation once the sugars are used but before alcohol forms. The pressure helps infuse the coffee with rich flavours from the mucilage. After fermentation, the tanks are opened cautiously due to the pressure, the liquid drained, and the coffee dried in the sun. It’s important the coffee gets at least four hours of sun on the first day to halt further fermentation and preserve the desired flavour profile.