anaerobic worka chelbesa

Our parters at Atlantic Specialty Coffee have been trailing experimental coffees from the Worka Chelbesa wet mill since 2019. Through further understanding of the critical steps, this year they have processed Anaerobic Washed coffee.

Anaerobic fermentation occurs in sealed containers. The seal means the microbes fueling fermentation quickly consume all the oxygen in the container. At that point, the environment becomes anaerobic (without oxygen). In this new environment, the microbes that typically breath oxygen have a harder time surviving, and those that flourish on carbon dioxide (the typical by-product of oxygen-breathing microbes) are able dominate fermentation.  

After the whole cherry is fermented for 48 hours the cherry is pulled out for pulping. Once pulped the coffee will remain inside the fermentation tank for 24 hours. then finally washed by the team at the wet mill and laid out to dry at the raised African drying table. Teams at the wet mill turn the parchment frequently to oversee even drying that takes a total of 12 days.