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Post by jamescary on Feb 8, 2008 14:14:15 GMT -5
I just read some history on coffee. According to a couple sources, coffee used to take long sea voyages from the sources to the consumers. Also the sources claim that once new routes/forms of transportation were available which reduced shipping time, the consumers disliked the taste of the 'younger' coffee. I read a little more and found that some coffee suppliers do in fact age their green coffee beans (somewhere between 3-8 years). The claim is that certain enzymes work inside the bean to change the flavor characteristics. Once I read enzymes it triggered a thought about beer brewing and how barley is malted to produce enzymes which convert the starch to sugar. I found an interesting thread from home coffee roasters on the same idea: coffeegeek.com/forums/coffee/homeroast/335433Any thoughts on what might happen with cacao?
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josh
Novice
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Post by josh on Feb 10, 2008 16:01:07 GMT -5
Mr. Scary,
Jungle here weighing in on the subject. First, you assumption on beans is at odds with my business experience in coffee. No one that I know of ages beans on the production end, about 500 million dollars worth exported from Guatemala last year, while its not a totality of the beans its not a small number either? Who ages them? Give me a name and I'll ask for you.
I assume that you are aware that the cacao bean goes through a similar process in fermentation stage and that the sugar produced is what makes cacao a chocolate rather than a nut. So what are you getting at? I have kept beans for a couple of years in both the bean form and the roasted nibb form. The only difference's that I have noticed is that the beans will dry out and loose flavor after a year and the nibbs tend to mold not matter what. So, whats your supposition. I can check on my "controls" and answer whatever you want to know exactly.
Farmer J
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Post by jamescary on Feb 11, 2008 14:26:35 GMT -5
Here's some aged coffee: www.sweetmarias.com/coffee.indonesia.sumatra.html#Aged_LintongI guess germination is not right for cacao. The fermentation effectively kills the germ, but from what I've read the death of the germ causes enzymes to be released in the bean which aid in reducing the bitterness of the bean. So, I suppose after reading a bit more about aged coffee, what is more likely happening is that the bean does not undergo many further changes after a couple weeks and instead the aging process probably causes the bean to pick up the flavors surrounding it.
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josh
Novice
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Post by josh on Feb 11, 2008 19:07:19 GMT -5
Yeah,
I know of this guy and his proclamations, I emailed him a couple of years back when he was invited to judge a cupping competition here, he's never emailed back or called, I'm soo hurt. This is the point in my diatribe where I cough and under my breath you hear "BS". Sounds like they couldn't move the stuff back then when it was freshed and tried a new marketing approach. I hear its "bird friendly"too.
I though that I could drop the acidity that is prevalent in Guatemalan cacao and coffee by aging it. I haven't been able to prove it. I like your idea though keep working it out, thats how stuff is invented.
Jungle
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Post by jamescary on Feb 21, 2008 21:32:59 GMT -5
It sounds like a labor intensive process to insure that stuff doesn't start growing on the beans. It also seems like several container materials might need to be tested. Another thread on here had some discussion regarding fermenting boxes and the material used for them. I know bourbon whiskey is aged in oak to pick up flavors. I wonder if the acidity in the beans would cause a breakdown in their container. Maybe I'll throw a couple fermented beans in a box and see what happens after time.
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