the kit
The Fermentation Project is James Hoffmann’s global tasting event, this time together with fermentation specialist Lucia Solis. One single coffee from Guatemala was split into four lots and processed with four different fermentation protocols. Tasting them side by side shows what fermentation really does to the cup.
This extended kit contains 6 x 60 g of whole beans, roasted by D stands for in Vienna:
- Mechanically demucilaged: no fermentation at all. The reference point: the cup shows only the farm, the growing practices and the variety.
- Wild fermentation: 48 hours submerged, with the farm’s own wild microbes. The way most coffees are processed.
- Lactobacillus inoculated: 48 hours submerged, with lactic acid bacteria added. Shows how they can boost organic acids, and with that brightness and complexity.
- Yeast inoculated: 48 hours submerged, with Saccharomyces yeast added, as in winemaking. Shows how yeast can influence body and complexity.
- Decaf add-on: a washed and a natural decaf from D stands for, to compare processing in decaf as well.
The four fermentation coffees are fully caffeinated. The live online tasting with James Hoffmann takes place on 3 October 2026 at 18:00 (Belgian time). More info on thefermentationproject.com.
the coffee
All four fermentation lots come from the same coffee: Finca San Miguel Urias in Antigua, Guatemala, grown at 1,460 to 1,540 metres above sea level. The variety is around 85% Caturra, 15% H1 and some Bourbon. All four are washed coffees; only the fermentation differs. Importer and exporter is Caravela Coffee, which moves the coffees from Guatemala to the participating roasters worldwide.
the people behind it
James Hoffmann is the 2007 World Barista Champion, author and one of the best-known coffee voices on YouTube. Lucia Solis studied viticulture and enology at UC Davis, made wine in Napa Valley for nine years and has worked on fermentation and processing with coffee producers in more than 15 countries since 2014. She hosts the podcast Making Coffee.
the roaster
D stands for is a decaf specialist roastery from Vienna, Austria. For this project they make an exception and roast coffee with caffeine, after also taking part in The Decaf Project with James Hoffmann in 2024. The coffees are roasted on a Roest P3000.
