Tiếng Việt
In 2021, barista Kaapo Paavolainen used Koji-fermented coffee in his performance and won the World Barista Championship. This event marked an important milestone for Koji fermentation in South American coffee processing.
Before you is a coffee sample fermented with Koji mold, an ancient fungus from Japan that Paraiso-92 farm in southwestern Colombia has experimented with quite successfully.
ABOUT FINCA EL PARAISO – 92
Finca El Paraiso-92 is a family-scale farm owned by Wilton Benitez, a specialty coffee farm in Piendamo, Cauca, Colombia at 1900m altitude, specializing in cultivating coffee varieties like Java, Pink Bourbon, Geisha, Pacamara, Caturra, Tabi, Castillo, Supremo…
The modern farm applies terraced field techniques, drip irrigation, and nutritional control. Paraiso 92 has also invested in microbiology laboratories, quality testing, and high-tech processing facilities that help them strictly control every processing step.
Selecting appropriate microorganisms for the fermentation process is one of the crucial factors in searching for new flavors. This year, Paraiso used Koji mold strains from Japan to ferment Caturra coffee grown in Colombia.
KOJI: JAPAN’S NATIONAL MOLD
Koji is a filamentous fungus widely used in Japan, primarily in making sake, miso, and products with umami flavors. In the coffee industry, this is a new processing technique that enhances coffee’s flavor structure and complexity by breaking down starch into simple sugars for use in fermentation. At this point, Koji mold simultaneously produces amino acids and glutamate (increasing rich sweetness sensation), esters and aldehydes (enhancing fruity aromas).
The Koji fermentation process consists of 3 main steps:
- Step 1: Select ripe coffee cherries and UV sterilize to eliminate bacteria
- Step 2: Place whole cherries into Koji mold fermentation for 24 to 72 hours in an aerated environment. Fermentation time depends on conditions and desired flavor profile
- Step 3: Slowly dry coffee in silos at approximately 34°C until moisture content reaches about 11-12%. Remove cherry skin and store in warehouse
FLAVOR PROFILE OF CATURRA KOJI PARAISO 92
Koji mold doesn’t necessarily create new flavors but enhances the complex components already present in coffee. Flavors will develop differently depending on varieties like Geisha, Bourbon, or Java.
For the Caturra variety, Koji develops gentle fruit aromas like Nihonshu (Japanese sake fermented from rice, Koji mold, and yeast). You can immediately taste cantaloupe and ripe mango with light floral notes. The clean, pleasant sweet aftertaste lingers in your mouth after drinking.
Cupping Notes: White Flower, Japanese Rice Wine, Mango, Cantaloupe
GREENN BEANS CATURRA KOJI
ROASTED BEANS CATURRA KOJI
CHARACTERISTICS OF ICUP’S ROASTED CATURRA KOJI
- Roast level: Light
- Best suited for: Pour-over, Cold brew
- Start using after: About 10-15 days from roast date
- Best consumption period: 3 months when unopened and 1 month from first opening. If not using immediately, can be stored in freezer (freezing can extend freshness up to 1 year while maintaining fresh taste – when removed, can grind immediately without waiting to thaw)
- Recommended to open coffee beans one day before use to release gas and pressure from the bag, then reseal for more aromatic and well-rounded coffee flavor
- Whole bean coffee. If grinding is requested, please inform iCup of your brewing equipment for appropriate grind size selection. We encourage customers to own a coffee grinder for fresh grinding with each use
- Package weight: 100g
- Roasted by: iCup Roaster
COLOMBIA GRANJA PARAISO 92 CATURRA KOJI COFFEE INFORMATION
- Origin: Cauca, Colombia
- Variety: Caturra
- Farm: Granja Paraiso 92
- Processing method: Koji fermentation
- Altitude: 1900-2000 masl
MORE COFFEE FROM ICUP ROASTER
iCup is proud to bring customers the world’s finest coffee beans.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.