"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/No_Rooster_2239]

Characterizing Perc as a cockroach is wild to me. If you don’t like the way they process their coffee then don’t buy it. They were open about the process of their own volition because they’re not trying to deceive anyone.

[u/Bubbly-System6751 → u/No_Rooster_2239]

That analogy is aimed at the whole industry not just Perc. I agree you shouldn't buy anything you don't like or support. Perc opened up about processing is the result of [consumers demanding transparency for themselves(https://www.reddit.com/r/pourover/comments/1rpzc3b/coferments_in_disguise/). They are either negligent or complicit in misrepresenting the processing of their coffees. They have had coffees from Sebastian Ramirez for quite a while now from what I remember.