#11: Listener Q&A: Why Ferment? Submerged vs Dry Tanks, and Can You Taste Yeast vs Bacteria?

Hello friends,

In today’s podcast episode I get to do something a little different. Instead of giving you my thoughts on a particular coffee topic, I’m answering questions from 4 different listeners. Ideally I would like to have an episode for each question because they are rich with topics but many listeners have submitted questions through my website. The pile is growing quite large and I think it would be more helpful if I could keep answers brief to address a higher number of questions.

Today's questions focus on fermentation, yeast, bacteria and temperature:

• I remain skeptical about the role and importance of fermentation on coffee quality and flavor.
• Would the amount of water added into the fermentation tank affect the concentration of fermentation by products found in the final product?
• Is fermentation temperature is largely responsible for flavor differences between submerged (in-water) and dry (out-of-water) coffee fermentations?
• I have always been curious as to whether it is primarily yeast or bacteria causing the fermentation inside the fruit?
• How would a taster know the difference between yeast and bacteria fermented coffee?