{"product_id":"presale-zeff-x-the-fermentation-project-tasting-pack","title":"PRESALE - The Fermentation Project — James Hoffmann × Lucia Solis","description":"\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\" class=\"mt-3 -mb-1 text-[1.125rem] font-bold\"\u003eDESCRIPTION\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eEverything you've been told about fermentation is probably half right.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\"Anaerobic.\" \"Extended.\" \"Yeast-inoculated.\" The words are everywhere. The understanding isn't. Nobody ever had the chance to taste the plain version of the same coffee sitting right next to the fermented one — until now.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eJames Hoffmann and microbiologist Lucia Solis sourced a single lot of coffee from Finca San Miguel Urias in Antigua, Guatemala. Same farm, same harvest, same green. They split it into four parts and processed each one differently. The variable: fermentation only. Everything else, identical.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eWe're one of around 120 roasters worldwide taking part. We roasted all four lots to the same profile — same development, same curve — so what's in your cup is the fermentation talking, not us.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eFour bags. Four processes. One direct question answered: what does fermentation actually do?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eJoin James Hoffmann's live global tasting on YouTube on 3 October 2026 at 15:00 London time. Or go at your own pace. Either way, this is the most interesting 400g of coffee we've shipped this year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\" class=\"mt-3 -mb-1 text-[1.125rem] font-bold\"\u003eTHE KIT — FOUR COFFEES\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\" class=\"mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold\"\u003e1 — NO FERMENTATION\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Control.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBefore anything happens to coffee, there's this.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eNo fermentation. The cherry is pulped and the seed goes straight to drying without any microbial activity in between. This is the baseline — the raw truth of the bean before any processing has a chance to shape it. Understated, clean, a direct line to the terroir.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eEvery other coffee in this kit is a deviation from this one. Taste it first. Taste it last. Return to it. It's the anchor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProcess:\u003c\/strong\u003e Washed, no fermentation \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes:\u003c\/strong\u003e Clean · Mild · Terroir-forward\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr class=\"border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5\"\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\" class=\"mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold\"\u003e2 — TRADITIONAL FERMENTATION\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Classic.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis is how most of the world's coffee is processed and most people have no idea.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eAfter pulping, the coffee sits in open-air tanks while naturally occurring microbes — whatever's in the air and on the farm — break down the remaining mucilage. No added cultures, no control beyond time and temperature. The same process produces wildly different cups depending on altitude, weather, and the specific microbial population at that farm on that day.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis is fermentation as it has always been done. The point of comparison. The one that makes everything else legible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProcess:\u003c\/strong\u003e Traditional open fermentation, natural microbial population \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes:\u003c\/strong\u003e Familiar · Rounded · Character-driven\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr class=\"border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5\"\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\" class=\"mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold\"\u003e3 — LACTOBACILLUS INOCULATED\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe One That Hits Different.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis is the one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe coffee is inoculated with lactic acid bacteria — Lactobacillus — introduced deliberately rather than left to chance. Lactic acid bacteria produce organic acids: the kind that drive fruitiness, freshness, and what people in coffee call \"brightness.\" The fermentation is controlled, directional, and repeatable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIf this kit has a showstopper, it's probably this one. More complex than B, more alive than A. The kind of cup that makes you put it down and go back for another taste to make sure you tasted what you tasted.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProcess:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lactobacillus inoculated, 48 hours \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fruit-forward · Fresh · Complex\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr class=\"border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5\"\u003e\n\u003ch3 dir=\"ltr\" class=\"mt-2 -mb-1 text-base font-bold\"\u003e4 — WINE YEAST\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Full One.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eSaccharomyces cerevisiae — the same family of yeast that makes wine — is introduced to the fermentation. Where Lactobacillus builds acidity and brightness, wine yeast builds body, texture, and a broader, rounder flavor profile. The focus is on precursor development: compounds that form during fermentation and determine how the coffee expresses itself in the roaster and in your cup.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThis one sits differently. Heavier, more layered. Not louder — deeper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProcess:\u003c\/strong\u003e Wine yeast inoculated, Saccharomyces cerevisiae \u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full-bodied · Rich · Layered\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr class=\"border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\" class=\"mt-3 -mb-1 text-[1.125rem] font-bold\"\u003eKIT CONTENTS\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cul dir=\"ltr\" class=\"[li_\u0026amp;]:mb-0 [li_\u0026amp;]:mt-1 [li_\u0026amp;]:gap-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [\u0026amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3 print:block print:space-y-1\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eCoffee A: No Fermentation — 55g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eCoffee B: Traditional Fermentation — 55g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eCoffee C: Lactobacillus Inoculated — 55g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eCoffee D: Wine Yeast — 55g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2\"\u003eTotal: 220g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNotes:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full-bodied · Rich · Layered\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr class=\"border-border-200 border-t-0.5 my-3 mx-1.5\"\u003e\n\u003ch2 dir=\"ltr\" class=\"mt-3 -mb-1 text-[1.125rem] font-bold\"\u003eNOTES:\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll coffee will be roasted in the week of the 7th of September and \u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003eshipped on the 17th\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003cbr\u003eThis to ensure there is sufficient time for the coffees to reach everyone in their best consition for the event.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ZEFF. Coffee","offers":[{"title":"4 x 55g \/ Omni \/ Tasting Pack","offer_id":65535680250205,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"CHF","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0806\/5823\/5741\/files\/ZeffCoffeeFermentationProject4Pack1_86885aa0-5f6e-4800-85d6-2e28ffe306dc.webp?v=1786645054","url":"https:\/\/zeffcoffee.com\/products\/presale-zeff-x-the-fermentation-project-tasting-pack","provider":"ZEFF. Coffee","version":"1.0","type":"link"}