Shyra - Rwanda, Friedhats | 250g

The “Anoxic Pillow Method” is a type of processing that we’re starting to see more of, and while the name sounds complex and technical, it is a very purposeful processing method meant to lower the barrier to entry for advanced processing. As processing has gotten more and more complicated, and borrows more from brewing and advanced fermentation, the cost and materials access can be inhibiting. That’s where the anoxic pillow method comes in and reduces controlled fermentation to its most basic elements- requiring just a container large enough to hold the cherry, a thin sheet of plastic large enough to cover the cherry, and water. That’s it! 

When the coffee is covered with the sheet then covered in a pillow of water, a seal is created that makes an anoxic (without oxygen) environment for the fermentation to take place in, while the water allows for regulation of temperature for the fermentation via heat transfer. Once the fermentation is complete the water is drained, the coffee is rinsed and moved to raised beds to dry for another 4-5 weeks. The processing may be well simplified, but the finished cup is anything but- brimming with ripe tropical fruits and bright florals.  

Notes of Mango, Grape Candy and Melon