Yeast-Inoculated Honey Process
Yeast inoculated processing adds unique flavor notes that will wow your palate. The process also adds value in a way that helps us support our producing partners. During this process, we can control for specific flavors by selecting from 3 different Lalcafe yeasts. ORO yeast increases mouthfeel and builds a stronger body. ORO also draws out notes of red fruit. CIMA boasts a higher sweetness and increases citrus notes and Intenso elevates floral and tropical fruit notes and creates a more balanced acidity. Learn more about yeast-inoculated processing by following this step-by-step photo story.
First, cherry is selectively hand-harvested by individual smallholder producers. Farms in Burundi are small and the average producer has 250 to 350 trees on average.
At intake, washing station employees hand select ripe, red cherry and then float cherry to remove any over- or under-ripes.
Accepted cherry is weighed and farmers are paid for their crop.
Then, cherry is pulped to remove the outer layer of skin and the pulp.
Parchment and remaining mucilage is transferred tanks where it is mixed with yeast and fermented for 12 hours. 1g of yeast is added for every 1kg of cherry. Following fermentation, parchment and mucilage is moved to raised beds to sundry. Workers continue to inspect drying parchment for defects and rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. They cover parchment during the hottest part of the day and at night to prevent condensation.
Once dry, parchment is placed in Jute sacks and rested in warehouses. From the warehouse, coffee will be milled and prepared for export.
Learn more about yeast-inoculated processing from Eddy Nkanagu, Managing Director at Greenco, and Tim Heinze, Coffee Education Manager at Sucafina: