Issue 115: January | February 2023
Issue 115
From the Publisher
The founder and publisher of Roast magazine, Connie Blumhardt has spent 25 years in magazine publishing and has worked in the coffee industry for the last 20 years. Connie brings the same passion and commitment to this industry journal that is present within the roasting community.
With each issue, Connie brings insight and inspiration to the pages of Roast with this column.
Connie Blumhardt, Publisher
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I had a chance to step away from the computer, turn off the coffee world and take in the film “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Through the many compelling plot lines and excellent script, a particular line that was likely lost in the mix for many stood out to me: “Don’t ask how. First ask why.” This was in reference to an outsider asking how a piece of advanced technology worked. The response was perfect—it’s better to understand why the technology exists in the first place than to worry about how it was brought to life.
In this issue, we are presenting a series of articles about green coffee processing. The historic perspective on advancements in coffee processing is presented in “Waves of Coffee Processing” by Luz Stella Artajo Medina. In this column, processing advancements are divided into historical waves. Like progress in almost every other area today, each wave is coming faster as time advances due to leaps forward in technology. The real-world results of changes in processing can be seen in the variety and quality of the Mexican coffees reviewed in this issue’s Coffee Review tasting report (“Mexico Coffee: Processing Innovation, Cooperatives and the Tradition of Collaboration” by Kim Westerman).
If you are like me, the article that you might find yourself spending the most time reading, re-reading and discussing with your peers will be “Additive Fermentation: ‘Infused’ Coffee is Gaining Popularity—and Sparking Industry Debate” by Chris Kornman. This is a complicated topic that seems to stir passionate opinions. It has me re-thinking what it means to be transparent in processing, transparent to consumers, and what the boundaries are for auctions and competitions in the coffee industry.
It is unlikely governmental regulations will be able to keep up with these changes in processing, so it will be up to our industry to guide the way. I have no doubt that co-fermentation in coffee processing will be used to creatively expand what is possible in bringing out flavors in specialty coffee. I also have no doubt that others will try to use these processing techniques to alter defects in lower-quality coffee in hopes of passing those coffees off as higher quality. I encourage everyone to keep an open mind when reading the article, and to be composed and thoughtful with criticisms and opinions. I believe an excellent starting point when considering co-fermentation might be to first ask why—is the goal a new world of possible flavors or a new world of tricks to obscure transparency?—then seek to understand how advanced technologies bring out these results.
Warmest Wishes,
Connie
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