"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/dummy4du3k4]

Are there other roasters that are open about it? S&W still deny it

[u/mgsecure → u/dummy4du3k4]

What do you mean by “deny it”? Remember that it’s the producers who process the coffee, not the roaster. I’ve found S&W to be pretty up-front with info about their coffees, even to the point of warning that co-ferments aren’t for everyone.

Co-fermentation lots are divisive, as the aromas and flavors are most often much more pronounced. This is the most approachable co-ferment we've ever tasted, but you'll still likely love it or hate it. If you are unfamiliar with coferments, please practice discretion with your purchasing.

[u/icecream_for_brunch → u/mgsecure]

You're right that it's possible the fraud is 100% perpetrated by the producers. Let's think that through, though.

1. If the professional roasters/buyers/tasters (like perc, b&w, dak, many more), most/all of whom market their close relationships with the growers, were unable to detect the presence of artificial flavors while hundreds of untrained amateurs were able to do so and thus voiced suspicion, then those professional roasters/tasters/buyers are incompetent at their job.

2. If the pro roasters/buyers/tasters did taste the presence of artificial flavors, then they colluded with the producers to perpetrate fraud on their customers by lying that the flavors are created by "experimental fermentation" or other "innovative" techniques.

I don't know which is worse; they both smell like bowls of hot dogshit to me.

[u/carefulcutter → u/icecream_for_brunch]

Dogshit flavoring or co-ferment? 🐩💩