Excelsa by Mooleh Manay Estate

Komal and Akshay have been exploring species beyond Arabica and Robusta for years. And Excelsa has long been a part of their playground. This incredible species can resist pests, withstand drought, and survive low rainfall. It's also naturally lower in caffeine. But what makes it equally exciting for specialty drinkers is its unique flavour. With this special lot, the producers show how it develops over a 132-hour fermentation.

Ripe Excelsa cherries were picked from trees that grow over 15m tall. After removing low-density cherries, the remaining cherries were prepared for carbonic maceration. Placed in custom-built tanks, they were allowed to ferment in a CO2-rich environment. To guide the process, the producers added select starter cultures. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast behind bread, beer, and wine, created fruity complexity. Lactobacillus, the bacterium best known for fermenting curd, developed a creamy mouthfeel. After 84 hours, the lids on the tanks were removed. It set an aerobic phase in motion, which extended fermentation for another 48 hours. Finally, the coffee was dried in polyhouses over 12 days until it reached 12% moisture.