Cupping
The Fermentation Project — Amsterdam Tasting
Saturday, 3 October 2026 · 18:00 · Flying Frog Roastery · Amsterdam, Netherlands
One Guatemalan coffee, four fermentations, one very curious frog. We are joining James Hoffmann and Lucia Solis' global tasting — live from the roastery in Amsterdam.
Quick overview
One farm. One harvest. One lot of coffee, split into four and fermented four different ways. Everything else — the picking, the drying, the roast — stays the same. Whatever changes in the cup is fermentation, and nothing else.
It is the cleanest experiment our industry has run in years, built by James Hoffmann and fermentation scientist Lucia Solis with Caravela Coffee, and tasted on the same day by roasteries and drinkers all over the world.
The lot: Finca San Miguel Urias, Antigua Valley, Guatemala. The Frog is tasting it in Amsterdam, the Netherlands — same coffee, same day, same four cups as everyone else on the planet.
Cup Nº 01
Control
The washed baseline. No intervention — the reference point every other cup is measured against.
Cup Nº 02
Wild
Whatever microbes were already on the fruit and in the air at the mill. Unpredictable by design.
Cup Nº 03
Lactobacillus
A lactic ferment — the family behind yoghurt and sourdough. Usually rounder, softer, dairy-sweet.
Cup Nº 04
Saccharomyces
A cultured yeast, the wine and beer workhorse. Often louder and more aromatic in the cup.
The tasting video will play right here, on this page, the moment it goes live.
The Fermentation ProjectThe Fermentation Project takes a single lot from Finca San Miguel Urias in the Antigua Valley, Guatemala, and processes it four ways: a control, a wild ferment, a Lactobacillus ferment and a Saccharomyces yeast ferment. Same farm, same harvest, same roast. Only the microbes change.
We brew all four side by side, taste along with the worldwide livestream on 3 October, and argue politely about which one is the frog's favourite. No experience needed — if you can slurp from a spoon, you can cup.
Kits are limited. Bowls, spoons, water and opinions are provided.
Afterwards — the Frog's verdict
Once the bowls are empty we will write down what we actually tasted — favourites, surprises, and the one cup that made somebody pull a face. Honest notes, no diplomacy. It appears here.
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