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Carbonic Maceration (A unique way of coffee processing)

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 Carbonic Maceration
(A unique way of coffee processing)

This is a short cast that aims to demystify a technical term that comes up surprisingly often
when talking about Specialty Coffee Processing “Carbonic Maceration” many people would
have been heard this term in 2015 in World Barista Championship Sasa Sestic he tried this
unique method in coffee and he was the champion in 2015 hallmark of the championship was
this method Actually Carbonic Maceration is wine Making technique often associated with
the French wine region of Beaujolais. It also features as a process in other wine regions and
it’s seen as an important part of the toolkit of the Natural Wine Movement this method was
introduced in coffee by Sasa Setic in 2015 with all in the mind now we can talk more about
this process.

Carbonic Maceration is a process that leads to fermentation involving whole coffee cherries
(unruptured cherries) with intact in an Anaerobic (oxygen free) environment of Carbon
dioxide (Co2) in a closed container. Unlike a conventional fermentation this process of
fermentation doesn’t involve yeast this process actually has two major variations one of them
is TRUE or EXCLUSIVELY Carbonic Maceration and the other could be called a SEMI
Carbonic Maceration only True Carbonic Maceration can be done in the coffee let’s take a
look at this method

True Carbonic Maceration: - This process is recent vintage and was pioneered by a wine
maker and natural wine proponent named JULES CHAUVET from Beaujolaus .

This process is done by starting with the stain less steel container and filling it with whole
Coffee Cherries (harvested Cherries) and putting a lid on it (sealed). And then flush the
container with Carbon dioxide gas from down side since CO2 gas is heavier and denser then
oxygen as it fills the container it pushes the oxygen out through an airlock and the container
creates an ANAEROBIC environment. In this kind of environment that a different type of
fermentation called Intracellular fermentation takes place. When we take coffee cherries if
we peel the skin back we can see is the pulp and if you crush the coffee cherries by hand the
juice that runs out will also be clear. The coffee cherries skin contains compounds called
POLYPHENOLS made up of ANTHOCYANINS that are colour compounds and also special
compounds called TANNINS.

Tannins: - are found principally in coffee cherries skins and different tannins are found in
different layers of the skin. It is common if mostly empirical and anecdotal knowledge. If
fermentation begins inside a whole coffee cherries the tannins present in the inner layer of the
coffee cherry skin will preferentially migrate in to the fermenting coffee cherries interior.
 CO2

Anaerobic Conduction Coffee Cherries Intracellular Fermentation

First coffee cherries absorb CO2 gas and begin oxygen free and yeast free fermentation that
breaks down the sugars in the coffee cherries and also lowers the acidity while this is
happening the ANTHOCYANINS and TANNIS in the skins make their way into the pulp
turning the pulp a pink purplish colour. At this time a number of other reactions take place
inside the coffee cherries to create a unique flavour in the cup. Finally it depends on the
climatic conduction the fermentation process will shut down after that we can remove the
coffee cherries and can be processed by our own way may be by washed process or natural
process. From this method we can expect more fruit flavours like: - Strawberry, Raspberry,
cherry as well as banana and BUBBLEGUM flavour is the hallmark for this process.

As the coffee industry continues to rapidly evolve and change, coffee is now seen in many
different forms of processing as the coffee world is shifting towards Specialty Coffee this
method helps the Indian coffee growers to trade their coffee in the name of Speciality and
also they can get good price in international market any planter who wants to shift to
Specialty world they can try this method
 Reference
J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 138 Oxford University Press
2006 ISBN 0-19-860990-6

Valdiguie from a University of California, Davis website

J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 620 Oxford University Press
2006 ISBN 0-19-860990-6

J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 767 Oxford University Press
2006 ISBN 0-19-860990-6

http://sprudge.com/sasa-sestic-of-australia-wins-the-2015-world-barista-championship-75365.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRVBERR5j6Q&t=180s

http://blog.wine.com/2015/08/qa-what-is-carbonic-maceration/

By

Prasanna Gudi
PG Diploma Coffee Board
Bangalore

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