The newest frontier of processing: producers add something to the fermentation — fruit pulp, cultured yeasts, spices, or precise temperature programs — so that flavour develops into the seed rather than just around it. Done well (Amsterdam's DAK built a cult lineup on it) the results taste like candy and perfume: wildly expressive cups no terroir alone could produce. Done badly it's a costume. Purists argue it masks origin character; fans answer that it's honest, labelled, and delicious. The index takes no side — the tag simply tells you what you're getting.
How it works, step by step
- 1Pick ripe cherries
- 2Load tanks with cherries plus fruit, yeast or spice cultures
- 3Ferment sealed and temperature-controlled, hours to days
- 4Dry as a natural or wash clean, depending on the target
- 5Rest before hulling so the developed flavours settle
