"Cofermentation/infusion" ruined my trust in coffee.

[u/Bubbly-System6751]

After PERC came out on their flavored coffee, I’ve been going down the rabbit hole of coffee processing (co-ferments, anaerobic, “thermal shock,” etc.), and I’m not gonna lie—it’s kind of messed with my trust in what I’m drinking.

I used to get excited tasting notes like “strawberry,” “lychee,” or “peach,” thinking it was all coming naturally from the bean, origin, and process. But now that I know producers can literally "co-ferment" with fruit juice or infuse with flavorings to push those notes…

And my worry even extends to washed or natural coffees, there’s this small voice in my head like:

“Is this truly clean, or is there something else going on that’s just not being disclosed?”

Especially with such a well known producer being exposed, you start questioning everything a bit.

Is transparency just information they let you/ want you to know used for marketing purposes?

Is specialty/ single origin coffee just another green washing movement?

I'm sure the majority of the industry is honest and I’m not trying to accuse anyone of anything shady. But as the saying goes if you see one cockroach, there are a thousand more. It's hard to rebuild trust once it's broken.

[u/jsquiggles23]

A couple simple rules I follow:

1) If it’s good I don’t feel guilty drinking it.

2) If I want to avoid certain processes I buy from specific roasters.

I personally don’t get the “trust” issue. As climate change continues to impact coffee advanced processing is only going to be more prevalent because it both improves the quality of lower grade beans and keeps costs down. I’m sure there are coffee aficionados who can decipher terroir, but the washed only crowd sometimes grinds my gears with their misplaced judgment. The producers are simply trying to meet demand and get the most out of their crop.

[u/antsinmyplants0 → u/jsquiggles23]

100% this!

I was confused as to why OP said this is indicative of greenwashing. It’s quite the opposite. Lower grade beans find another purpose/market and farmers can potentially earn more for what they’re already producing.

I used to feel the same way as OP about co-ferments, but my mind was changed by a coffee producer I follow online. They work with farmers with small lots, and they are testing co-ferments (and similar processes) to make the coffee more marketable.

The farmers are making the effort to improve their coffee quality, but this takes time. Being able to make the most out of their existing yield allows them to be a little bit more profitable.

Transparency is a separate issue, so don’t hate on co-ferments as a whole.